


A World Apart

by Polar534



Series: SAH [2]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Boiling Isles still have cellphones..., Buckle in for another long fic, Cellphone AU, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Gay Disaster Amity Blight, Good Parent Camila Noceda, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Luz Noceda has ADHD, Small changes from canon, Updating tags as we go, these kids still be gay and crushing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:40:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 44,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28330296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polar534/pseuds/Polar534
Summary: "Fine you win Amity, I'll go home...but you're coming with me."Following the thundering failure of the Portal Heist, the Owl Family has become splintered. With Luz and Amity trapped in human realm, Willow, Gus, and the Clawethorn sisters are forced to go on the run. As they struggle to bring the girls home, Belos takes the time unchallenged to strengthen his control over the Isles.With The Day of Unity fast approaching, the most wanted criminals on the Boiling Isles must race to figure out the true secret behind the link between the Human and Demon Dimensions.Meanwhile, on the other side of the destroyed portal, Luz and Amity take on the challenges of the human world. Historically the Earth has never taken kindly to witches and Luz knows that fear still runs deep. In the small town of Terrace, the fear of anything different makes people hateful. Luz would know. As the scars of her past become more and more apparent to Amity, the witch fears a new truth. Her little ball of light seems to dim more and more every day as time ticks on without a solution. Will they find a way back before it's too late?And if they do... what will be waiting for them when they return?
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Series: SAH [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055756
Comments: 132
Kudos: 567





	1. Explosion

An explosion rocked the very foundation of the castle. Almost immediately following the shaking of the earth, a violent ripple of magical energy swept through the corridor leading to the portal. As it traveled through, it disrupted all spells in it's path, snuffing out the magical fires lining the walls and casting the hallway into complete darkness. 

As everyone struggled to remain on their feet, Willow felt a hollowness spread in her chest. 

Beside her, Gus clutched tightly to the plant witch's arm, holding himself upright. 

"Willow. The portal..." He whispered quietly into the dark, his voice almost overtaken with the sounds of panicked guards. 

Almost as quickly as it had come, the wave of magic receded and the light of the fires slowly flickered back to life. It once again illuminated the dire circumstances the companions found themselves in. Ahead of them, slowly getting back to their feet and senses, lay a small army of guards and coven members. Their white uniforms were scuffed from the brawl that had ensued before the explosion as two mere kids tried their best to hold off their advance.

The chaos caused by the explosion was not lost on Willow as she swiftly took advantage of their enemy's dazed state. Shakily summoning even more magic, dozens of vines snaked their way across the legs and torsos of all of those still recovering the from the shockwave.

The rest were quick to shake off the confusion.

Gus gripped Willow's arm tighter. 

"No time to worry about them right now, we've got company." Willow nodded ahead of them to the couple of guards who had recovered faster then the others. 

Willow was exhausted and out of breath but she held up a shaky hand to draw another spell. Regardless of whatever may have happened to her friends, she would keep their path clear. Gus stepped in front of her. Casting a large illusion circle he conjured the image of a giant thorny plant that lunged at anyone who came near. It froze the small group of guards in their advance. He turned around with a small supportive smile, before both witches were forced apart by a large fireball only barely sailing through the space between them. 

Another large crash shook the building as Willow, pushing through her exhaustion, summoned a large flower to engulf the attacker. 

"What now?!" Gus exclaimed as multiple copies of the young witch swarmed and overwhelmed yet another advance of guards. 

Willow frowned. The crash didn't seem to come from the portal room, but rather somewhere in the hallway ahead of them. She briefly worried that it might have been more reinforcements before her concern was immediately interrupted by a strong grip on her shoulder.

"Ha! You're in some big trouble now." A gruff voice came from behind her. 

Willow's eyes flicked to her side where Gus was being hoisted into the air by a witch dressed in the white robes of the Emperor's Coven. Gritting her teeth she turned around and faced the guard holding her. 

"Uh... where am I? Who are you?" Willow blinked innocently up at him, putting on her best confused and lost voice. 

Despite the mask covering his face, Willow could practically feel his confused expression. His grip loosened and the plant witch took her chance. A sharp vine shot up from the ground and sent the guard flying back. Dashing to Gus's side her rescue attempt was stopped as something fleshy smacked against the coven member's face. Dropping the young illusionist, the attacker stumbled backwards attempting to pry the thing off of his face. 

A cry of alarm from behind Willow drew her attention. Whipping around she saw two more guards who were close to them with fleshy blobs clinging to their faces. Squinting, Willow could faintly make out the bat wings gripping tightly to the backs of their heads. 

Realization struck as everyone was knocked to the ground by a familiar screech that reverberated down the hallway. 

_The BatQueen was here._

Willow grabbed ahold of Gus's arm and ran through the stunned guards towards the noise. Just a ways ahead of them, the large head of the BatQueen turned towards the two fugitives.

"Come, come! Hurry!" She hissed as her babies returned to her hair. 

Skidding to a stop next to the large demon, Willow and Gus paused. The BatQueen's eyes narrowed. 

"What are you waiting for? Grab ahold of hair!"

Next to Willow, Gus turned to look back the way they came. The plant witch could feel his worry. She narrowed her eyes at the large palisman in front of them. 

"What about our friends? We can't leave without them." 

The BatQueen's large red eyes softened.

"Child. Your friends are gone from this world. Luz asked me to make sure you are delivered safely from this place before she left." 

Gus's breath caught in his throat. Willow felt the hollowness from earlier spreading. A cry of alarm rang out. 

"On your feet!! The head of the Emperor's Coven is approaching!"

Willow swallowed the emptiness. She turned to Gus. 

"We need to go..." She whispered hoarsely to her friend.

Gus merely stared back at her. Biting his lip he nodded. Together they grasped a long, thick strand of black hair each. The hair seemed to magically curl around their feet as they held on, providing a foothold to stand. The BatQueen let out a massive screech and beat her powerful wings, knocking back anyone who was approaching them. Turning around, she hopped through the hole she had made in the wall and took off into the night, sailing effortlessly high above the courtyard and pit of spikes. 

Willow shifted her grip and turned back to look at the castle. Adjusting her mask, she stared down at the large hole in the otherwise spotless building. It was almost completely hidden, the lower floors of the castle having been carved out of the side of the rock walls surrounding the moat of spikes. Even still, through the wreckage, the plant witch saw a figure. It's hair was pinned tightly up in a bun but Willow couldn't mistake it's signature emerald color. 

Odalia Blight gripped tightly to her staff as she watched the criminals fly away. 

"Hey, those people down there. They kinda look familiar. Why are they breaking curfew I wonder." Gus observed from beside her. 

Willow tore her eyes away from the castle to see Gus leaning over the side of the BatQueen's wings to gaze at the ground below. Willow's hand shot out just in time as the boy's foot slipped from it's hold in the palisman's hair. Holding her friend from the back of his school uniform, Willow got a look at what he was talking about. 

A group of 5 adults and 2 teens were rushing below them trying to keep up with the BatQueen's massive shadow as the sun began to rise in the distance. Gus was right, they did look familiar. 

With a sinking feeling, Willow pulled the illusionist back up to safety. 

"Gus... I think those are our parents."


	2. Parent Talks

"Start talking. Now." Perry and Eda echoed each other in a low growl, mirroring each other's stance as they glared down at the two kids before them. 

Gus felt a cold shiver. It had only been a few moments since the BatQueen had set them down outside of the The Owl House. In that time The Parent Squad, featuring Ed, Em and King, had closed the distance. 

Gus weighed his options. On his right, Willow was wrapped up protectively in a tight possessive hug by her fathers, taking out his only ally. The BatQueen stood behind him, watching over the current happenings with only mild interest. Gus had a feeling the palisman wouldn't be much help. 

Next to the Park family bundle stood his current problem. Perry Porter may have looked ridiculous, wrapped up in a fuzzy robe and wearing far past dirtied slippers, but Gus knew better then to underestimate him. Right now, his father looked furious. Standing next to his dad was Eda, who had Lilith slung over her shoulder. Gus took note of the former coven witch's state, she looked weak and pale. Even more pale then normal. Eda didn't seem to radiate near as much anger as Perry did, but there was still fury in her yellow eyes. Underneath the anger however, Gus saw worry. Worry that ran so deep it was alarming. 

Next to Eda, Lilith and Perry stood the Blight Twins. They both looked exhausted. The dark bags under their eyes gave a hint to just how stressed they were as they shifted uncomfortably, watching the scene unfold. King stood by their feet, his arms crossed, glaring daggers at Gus and Willow both. 

Gus took off his mask, and holding it close to his chest, the young illusionist turned on the charm. He was going to need it. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I promise I can explain." He started, starting up the show.

"Luz and Amity are gone. So is the portal." Willow's quiet voice emerged from the bundle of her parents. 

All eyes turned to her as Gus swallowed. 

It was Emira that spoke first.

"What do you mean... gone?" She asked quietly, _fearfully._

Kevin and Rowan unwrapped their arms from their daughter and watched as Willow straightened. She walked over to Gus and turned to face the group. Gus admired her quiet confidence and felt himself relax more and more just watching her. 

"We knew the Emperor had the portal. So we planned to steal it. Things went wrong."

"Well. Not entirely wrong. We made it through the castle completely unseen." Gus added helpfully. 

The pair watched as Eda narrowed her eyes. 

"You know we're going to need more explanation then that." She growled as Lilith peeled herself off of her sister’s shoulder. 

Willow stared her down, equally unintimidated. Her eyes melted eventually and Gus recognized the look. Her green eyes were full of empathy with a hint of relief. Gus knew exactly why, it had been stressful all this time keeping such a large secret from their parents and loved ones. 

“Luz was in danger.” The plant witch explained quietly.

Eda’s eyes widened.

“You still haven’t answered my question! What do you mean gone?!” Emira snarled as she stepped in front of the Clawethorn sisters. There were the beginnings of tears in her eyes as they burned with worry and anger.

Gus glanced at the other Blight twin. Edric was staring at the ground, completely silent and still. Almost the polar opposite of Emira’s shaking anger. The entire situation felt charged. Everyone was waiting on the answers only they had.

_But they weren’t answers that anyone would want._

Gus felt his throat close up as the realization actually hit him. Luz and Amity were gone. The portal was destroyed. They didn’t even know if their friends had managed to make it through the door in one piece. How could anyone possibly explain everything that had gone wrong?

The young illusionist felt more lost then he had ever felt before. He felt a tug on his pant leg. Looking down, he saw King. The little demon had large uncertain eyes. King had always looked at Gus as if he had the answers. A natural showman, the smartest kid in the grade... why shouldn’t he be able to speak now?

A single tear hit the top of King’s head as Gus closed his eyes tightly.

“Well? Where is my sister?!” Emira’s voice cried angrily.

“Kid-“ Eda started.

“Augustus-“ His father growled from above him.

“ _ **Enough.**_ ”

Suddenly there was silence.

Gus opened his eyes. He turned to face the voice that had so clearly and authoritarily spoke and found it was the BatQueen herself. The powerful demon glowered down at everyone in front of her.

“These kids have also had a rough night. They have made many sacrifices and burned plenty magic. You.” The BatQueen pointed a claw at Emira who recoiled backwards, stumbling into Edric. “There is no need to be so concerned. Luz would not have left with the girl if she didn’t think her friend would not be safer in her home dimension.”

Emira blinked, her anger quickly fading away. She started to say something but the large palisman wasn’t finished. The BatQueen turned to Eda and Lilith next, her claw now hooked in the raven-haired witch’s direction.

“She is weakened no?“ She inquired to Eda, ”Her palisman is drained and she is already without magic. You must get her inside to rest. Take the kids inside as well. You still have time before Belos takes his next step and you will all need to be healed for when it comes. Be smart Owl Lady. Do not let your emotions cloud your actions.”

With that warning, the BatQueen spread her massive wings. As she prepared to take off, she looked down at Willow and Gus in particular.

“Friends of the human, my favor to her may have been paid but my loyalty remains. She trusted you and as such, so do I.” Her voice echoed kindly. With a large beat of her wings that sent dust and grass flying, she took off silently into the morning gloom.

Gus felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Willow’s. They watched together as the BatQueen’s form disappeared far off into the trees of the forest she protected. His oldest friend squeezed him weakly before they heard someone clear their throat from behind them.

“Alright, you heard the big scary demon, everyone inside.” Eda commanded sternly. “We aren’t about to get any more answers from standing out here anyways. Also watch your valuables as you enter, Hooty likes to get frisky with strangers.”

***

Gus was drifting off, his head leaning against Willow’s stomach as the plant witch snored softly. He didn’t have the energy to do anything more then listen.

"I have never heard Augustus get so passionate about something before..." His father's voice echoed around the silent room. The reporter must've thought Gus was asleep. 

The young boy secretly wished his dad would just call him Gus like everyone else. 

"I mean, the boy has a spark for most everything he does, but this is different. Right? You guys heard it too... right?" Perry asked his peers. 

There were grunts of approval from Willow's dads but the one other person in the room remained quiet. 

The house was filled with a tense silence. 

"Was it really the best decision to send those two kids home?" Rowan spoke after a long while, his gruff voice filled with concern. 

Gus tried his best not to flinch, the sentence jabbing at something raw and fresh within him. The parents weren't the only one who had just found out what had been happening to Amity. 

"In the end it was their decision. If they feel like they would be more use at home, then we should respect that." Lilith finally spoke, her voice quiet. "They not only just found out about the abuse taking place behind their backs, but also they have to grapple with the idea of never seeing their sister again. It makes sense that they would want to go home and think about it."

Gus's mind recoiled with Lilith's statements. Never seeing their friends again? The thought was ridiculous. So ridiculous that Gus wanted to sit upright and tell them so. They WOULD find a way to bring them back. Luz was counting on them. Fighting back the urge to move, Gus forced himself to be still and calm. The illusionist knew the only reason the adults were talking so freely was because they believed the two kids were asleep.

A heavy snore corrected his thought. 

Right. They thought _he_ was sleeping at least. There was no question about just how exhausted Willow was. 

"Well, it doesn't sit well with me. We don't even know their plan. What if they confront their parents and end up putting Willow and Gus and all of us in danger?" Kevin growled. 

Gus heard some slight shuffling.

"Ooor, they get hurt." Rowan added, with a sharp correcting tone. 

Kevin sighed. "Or they get hurt." He added reluctantly. 

"Those two are far smarter then anyone gives them credit for. I trust them." Came Lilith's only reply. 

"Can we please also talk about how our children seemed to have befriended the most dangerous demon in the Boiling Isles?" Perry exclaimed suddenly after a short pause.

Gus now found himself fighting a grin. Befriending the BatQueen. Now that really was something.

"The BatQueen interacting with us witches and purposefully going against the Emperor. Huh. Guess the Isles really are preparing for a big change..."

"I blame Eda." Perry growled. 

"As much as I would like to blame my sister for this chaos, the responsibility really rests upon the human's shoulders."

The room fell quiet again and Gus listened with tense ears. They couldn't be mad at Luz? Right?

A low chuckle started at one end of the room. Joined quickly by another. Soon Gus heard his own father laughing as well. 

"Well I never pegged Eda to be a motherly type, but dang if that human doesn't take after her." Perry laughed. 

"Of course Eda's kid would spark this much chaos. If she's not careful we're going to end up in a rebellion." Rowan chuckled as well. 

Gus felt a flicker of pride inside of him as they talked about Luz. The thought stuck with him as the adults began to swap old school stories involving The Lord Calamity herself.

A rebellion huh? 

Why shouldn't there be a rebellion? With the new light that had been shed on the palisman capturing, and Belos's betrayal to his own personal coven leader, was the Emperor really the best thing for the Isles anymore? The question ate at Gus. He suddenly found himself wishing that Willow was awake.

"Speaking of the infamous 'Owl' Lady, are we sure she didn't just sneak off to leave us with the consequences? I don't buy that she's all that tired."

"Eh. She's a recluse Perry, she probably just isn't used to this many people being around her." Kevin assured him gently. 

"It's not either of those things. Edalyn _is_ tired. The curse's effect on her still hasn't entirely passed, despite being mostly healed. But there's one other thing you are forgetting as well." Lilith pointed out after a pause. 

Gus's ears twitched. 

"Your kids may have made it home safe and sound, but her's isn't coming back."

The room fell quiet almost instantly, the merry laughter that had jus been in everyone's voice fell away. Gus risked peeking his eyes open. 

Sitting on the couch together were Willow's dads, and on the far side of the couch was Lilith. Perry was leaning against the wall by the door facing them, but looking at the ground. 

Nobody was looking at each other. The statement weighed heavy in the air making it thick with discomfort. 

"So what happens now? What do we do? What... can we do?" Perry asked quietly from the corner. 

To Gus, it felt a lot like another night, not even a couple of days ago when Luz had told them all about her fight with the Emperor. Somewhere in his chest his heart twisted. He ignored it and instead watched carefully. 

"For now, you all should head home. The kids were smart, because of those masks the guards won't know their faces or names. I'll talk to Eda tomorrow to see what she wants to do. You all don't have to do anything more. If you would like to remain uninvolved then we will leave it at that." Lilith nodded, her eyes closed in thought. 

Perry started to say something as the Park husbands looked at each other before turning to their daughter, but Lilith wasn't quite finished. 

"Willow and Gus will most definitely want to be involved however. And I believe you should let them be."

"No, absolutely not. Whatever you two have planned I don't want Augustus to have any part of it. It was bad enough when that human was getting him into trouble, but this is too far. My son is wanted! That Blight kid mentioned petrification! As a father it's my duty to protect him!" Perry exclaimed. 

Gus finally decided he had had enough and made a move to defend himself. Turns out he didn't have to. No one had noticed yet that Willow had stopped snoring a while ago.

"It's not just Luz's fault." Willow spoke quietly, sitting up slowly. 

Gus bolted upright, grateful for the excuse to reveal that he wasn't sleeping and alarmed that Willow was even awake at all.

"Sprout, I thought you were asleep." Rowan turned to his daughter in concern. 

Willow ignored him. Setting a hand on Gus shoulder she faced Perry. 

"We wanted to help her. Not just because she's our best friend, but because what Belos is doing is WRONG."

"Willow, Eda is a criminal. She has stolen and swindled countless citizens out of their money. Just because she's fun doesn't mean she isn't guil-"

"But the theft isn't what Belos is convicting her of! That's not what got her sentenced to petrification!" Willow argued back, not even letting her father finish. 

Kevin sat back as his daughter's words hit him. 

"Are you telling me every single person who was petrified committed crimes that were deserving of a 'fate worse then death'?" The plant witch continued, looking sharply over every single adult in the room. 

It was a loaded question, one that none of them had answers for. Gus felt his own head droop in shame. 

"Whoa there kid, no need to get so worked up on my behalf. You know how much I hate work. Makes you all gross and sweaty. They're just worried about you." 

The entire living room turned suddenly to face the new voice. 

"Edalyn, I thought you were going to lay down?" Lilith scowled at the wild witch lounging at the top of the stairwell.

Eda simply shrugged before making her way down the steps. 

"You're all loud. Which is really saying something considering that up till recently, I lived with Luz. And she likes to act out her books at night." Eda rolled her eyes with a small smile. Walking to the center of the room, she set her hands on Willow and Gus's shoulders.

"You two rabble-rousers ready to help me get her back?"

She asked, looking down at them with large eyes, the smile slipping off of her face.

There was no hesitation as the two friend's heads bobbed up and down in sync. 

"Of course."

"Bring it on!!"

Eda's grin returned. She looked up at Perry, Rowan and Kevin. 

"Well there you have it. Obviously you three have little control over your kids as it is. Especially considering the large heist that happened right under your noses. You aren't going to be able to stop them now."

Perry rolled his eyes, scoffing, but the Park husbands looked at each other thoughtfully. Willow looked hopefully up at the both of them. 

Eventually, Kevin nodded. 

"Alright. But Willow, you are to be completely truthful with us from now on, ok?" 

Willow squealed in joy as she ran over to wrap her fathers in a tight hug. Gus watched them happily before turning to face his own father. His giddiness and hope quickly faded as he saw the fury on Perry's face. 

"Are you kidding me? You're just going to trust her?!" He questioned the couple, throwing a hand out to point at Eda.

"Come on, Perr, I haven't gotten them killed yet. That's got to count for something." Eda grinned back teasingly.

Lilith sighed heavily in the corner as Perry took a step forward, his eyes blazing threateningly. Eda straightened in response her hair practically poofing out like feathers on an angry owl. The entire house held it's breath as the two stared each other down. 

From across the room, Kevin cleared his throat. 

Two sets of eyes shot in his direction and the man withered just a bit under their intensity. 

"Perhaps you should give her a chance Perry. Gus and Willow have known each other for years, but you said it yourself: _You've never seen Gus so passionate_. They care about that human child. They care about their future here on the Isles. I may not trust Eda completely-"

"Harsh." Eda feigned insult. 

"-but, she's their best bet of getting their friends back."

"And staying out of the Emperor's grasp while they do so." Rowan added helpfully. 

"Mr. Park has a point. If anyone knows how best to ditch the law, it would be my sister." Lilith groaned reluctantly. 

Everyone looked to Perry as the man struggled with his emotions. 

Gus stood up and tentatively wrapped his arms around his father. 

"Look dad, I know you're worried, but we've got this! With my wit, Willow's talent and Eda's... uh... _experience_ -"

"Nice save kid." Eda laughed.

"-we're unstoppable!" The illusionist grinned up at him. 

Perry's eyes melted just a bit as his arm held his kid tightly to him. 

"Come on dad... Luz is counting on me. On us. She doesn't belong over there. We've got to bring her back home."

Perry sighed heavily, bringing his hand up to wipe at his face. 

"No more lies, ok?"

"Is that a yes?!"

"I suppose. I doubt I'll be able to stop you otherwise. You seem to have your heart set on this." Perry sighed as Gus whooped and squeezed him tighter. 

The night wrapped up quickly after, with Gus and Willow promising to visit Eda tomorrow to decide what they were going to do next. As the parents left the house with their kids, Gus turned back and looked up at Luz's room. Where there was once always some sort of light coming from it, now there was nothing. 

It was empty.

His heart sank as he realized just how dark the Owl House had become.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo. Betcha y’all didn’t see this coming. Hehehe. That’s right, Willow and Gus were snubbed in the first part but that was mostly due to the fact that the story I originally wanted to tell revolved only around Luz and Amity. As it grew, it just made sense to keep it between them. But I’ll be honest, mostly... I was just terrified to write these two. I still am a little scared, but we are just getting started. 
> 
> I posted 3 chapters for a reason... you all know the real reason you’re here, so don’t waste any more time here. Next chapter, well let’s just say I tried to make it worth the wait. ;D


	3. Rainfall

A blinding light filled the lone shack in the woods, piercing the early morning gloom before falling dim once more. Two bodies spilled out of seemingly nowhere and stumbled to their feet as wooden boards creaked below them.

Luz watched as Amity's eyes blinked slowly, adjusting the the new level of light. Before they were able to register anything more, the witch whipped around, wrist still locked in Luz's grip. Her eyes searched but there was nothing. There was no door. No shimmering glow, no hint of anything even remotely magical. 

Amity turned back to Luz slowly. 

"Luz... what did you do?" The witch asked with growing horror. 

"Did you mean it?!" Luz asked suddenly, barely letting Amity finish. 

"I mean it doesn't really matter anyways. Whether you like me or not. I wasn't about to let you... I couldn't let them..." Luz spiraled clutching onto Amity's wrist even tighter. 

Her mind was swirling with all the horrible things Belos and Odalia had threatened. She could barely think. What if Odalia had gotten to Amity? 

The human was barely able to focus her eyes, staring at Amity but not really seeing her. The bruise had been gone for awhile, but Luz could still see it, the mark forever seared into her memory. 

It made her sick. 

Despite that, what if Belos didn't keep his word? What if Luz had just left and Amity... Amity had been...

"Luz!" Amity yelled as Luz's legs gave out from under her. She felt her knees hit the wooden flooring and heard it creak as Amity knelt beside her. 

"I wasn't ready to say goodbye." Luz admitted, a hollowness entering her chest as she realized that the portal, the Isles, it was all gone.

She took a few breaths. The ache from her loss spread slowly through her limbs. It hurt, but the pain calmed the restlessness in her mind. She looked up at Amity. The sun must've just started rising as a little bit of soft sunlight streamed through a hole in the ceiling. It cast a glow on Amity's face and lit up the witch's watery amber eyes. They were all Luz could see. 

"And now you're trapped here. Oh titan... Amity, I just kidnapped you!"

Those amber eyes widened. Then the witch began to giggle. 

"Amity!!" Luz yelled, her eyes narrowing. "This is seriously bad! Why are you laughing?!"

"I'm sorry." Amity breathed in between giggles. "I'm sorry. It's just, I told you I liked you and your first reaction was to drag me into another dimension and then worry about how you kinda, sorta, technically, kidnapped me. I don't know what I really expected though. I mean, you are _Chaos_ after all." Amity's giggles slowed as Luz’s eyes widened. 

The witch's pale hand hit her face as she shook her head.

"And the timing. Oh titan. What was I even thinking?! I just knew... I knew you were in danger. I didn't even think. The electricity was out of my fingers before I could stop it. I knew you had to go back. With your mom's deadline coming up, and Belos controlling you... we weren't going to get another chance."

Amity trailed off as Luz continued to stare. 

"I'm sorry." Amity apologized quietly, removing her hand and looking down at the ground. Luz's heart twisted as those amber eyes left her own. 

"I just... you can't." Luz stuttered, trying to process her feelings. 

"I can't help it. I've tried, I've tried to convince myself over and over that it was all nothing, but-"

"No! That's not what I mean." Luz stuttered, looking at the wooden floor below them. She knew she couldn't look at Amity right now. It would hurt too much. 

"Amity, you're amazing." The human breathed. "You're incredibly talented and like crazy smart. Despite everything you've been through and what your parents tried to turn you into, you have a good heart and you take care of those around you..." Luz's voice grew more and more quiet as she confessed. "Not to mention you're completely gorgeous."

Luz shifted. She was finally able to peel her hand off of Amity's wrist. She felt herself scoot further away from her friend as she gripped tightly to her own arms. As dangly and awkward as they were, Amity wouldn’t want them near her, getting in her way. Especially now.

"You can't like a nobody like me." Luz croaked out, her voice barely audible even in the silence of the cabin. 

"I meant it." Amity replied quietly after a short pause.

Luz forcibly peeled her eyes upward and met with Amity's amber ones. 

They were completely serious. 

"Earlier you asked if I meant it, right? I did. I meant everything I said. You're not a nothing Luz. Not to me." Amity cracked a smile, although it seemed painful. "Do you know just how many pages of my diary you fill up? How much my sibling's have teased me because of how bad my crush is?"

"You... you write about me?" Luz asked hesitantly, her mind instantly skipping over Amity's confession once more. It couldn't be true. 

It just couldn't. 

"All the time. As obnoxious as it is sometimes, I can't ever get you out of my head." 

Amity reached out to gently peel Luz's arms away from her body. Luz fought the temptation to flinch away from the contact, her mind was buzzing. It was terrified. There had to be a mistake. 

Amity couldn't like her. Not like that.

No one could. 

"Luz?" Her voice came quietly. Gently. 

Luz clenched her eyes closed, holding back the tears she had been fighting. 

"I like you. A lot. You're always the bright spot in my day. No matter how bad it was before. I see you talking with Gus and Willow, or trying so hard to focus on your notes and not end up doodling one of your glyphs and I can’t help but stare. Or when you tell a truly _awful_ joke and suddenly I can't concentrate on anything else except the way you smile..."

The first tear finally slipped out. Luz swiped her face across her shoulder as her hands were still held hostage by Amity's. Of course she was crying. Her crush had just admitted to liking her and Luz was crying. 

"Luz. Say something. Please..." Amity begged her quietly. 

_Her crush had just admitted to liking her and she was crying._

The thought shot through her head like a lock pick, unblocking whatever walls had been built around her since they had fallen through the portal.

Luz slowly began to giggle. The situation was ridiculous. What was she doing? She shouldn't be crying. Somehow, someway Amity liked her. Not to mention the witch seemed pretty sincere about her confession. After all, you don't just give a dramatic last minute goodbye confession if you don't truly mean it. 

Right?

A warmth finally spread through Luz, chasing away the hollowness and cold that had encompassed her. It didn't stop the tears, but it did change them. 

She opened her eyes and stared up at Amity. The last few days had brought tons of emotional honesty from both of them, but Luz couldn't remember a time Amity had appeared so... open. So vulnerable. Her eyes registered Luz's laughter and hurt flashed across her face. 

Luz didn't speak. Instead she launched herself forward, tugging on the witch's hands to pull Amity closer. The human wrapped her arms tightly around Amity's neck. The giggles died as she buried her head into her crush's shoulder, nuzzling into her mint colored hair. 

"I like you too, Ami." Luz breathed happily, feeling her words hitch as the tears finally seemed to slow and stop. 

Amity froze under her embrace. At first Luz thought it may have been alarm, but after a few more seconds she realized that the witch wasn't even breathing. 

She unlatched her arms, momentarily panicked that Amity regretted her choice. Leaning back she saw that the witch was staring blankly at a spot on the wall. Looking back and forth between it and Amity, Luz poked her cheek tentatively. 

"... Amity?"

Amity moved faster then Luz could blink, snatching her finger in mid-air and holding it in a vice grip. 

"Please tell me you're not going to laugh and say, 'Of course I like you, you're my friend', because no offense Luz, that does seem like something you might do." The green-haired witch pointed out weakly, her voice hoarse. 

Luz laughed and grinned, feeling her confidence gain the longer she was able to look at Amity's face.

"Nope."

"Because it's totally ok to you know... not like me back. I don't really understand why you are even friends with me in the first place. Especially considering how mean I was to you and Willow-"

"Amity."

"And I didn't want to tell you because having you as a friend is already more then I deserve. Which is why it's completely ok if you don't like me back, I understand-"

"AMITY."

Amity blinked. Her eyes slid off the spot on the wall and stared back into Luz's. 

The human grinned again. 

"Amity, I like you. A lot. As more then just a friend." Luz reassured her, carefully sliding her finger out of Amity's grip and taking her hands. 

The cabin fell deathly quiet as the two girls stared at each other. A smile slowly crept onto Amity's face to match Luz's. 

"Really?" The witch whispered so quietly that Luz had to strain to hear it. 

"Really." Luz stated confidently. 

Amity's eyes lit up and Luz had to remind herself to keep breathing. The witch looked so relieved and so surprised all at the same time. Above all, Amity looked genuinely happy. The sight knocked the breath out of Luz's lungs. 

One thought ran through the human's head. 

_I want to keep making her smile like that._

Amity opened her mouth to say something more, but a low rumble from outside the cabin made her fall quiet. Luz looked up at the ceiling to where the hole was and noticed that the early morning sun was almost completely covered in thick, heavy clouds. Thunder rolled again, this time closer, as Luz felt a shiver of panic.

“Was that… thunder?” Amity asked uncertainly. 

“Yep. Looks like rain.” Luz confirmed with a gulp.

It had been awhile since the last rainstorm on the Boiling Isles but Luz knew that this rickety old building would be no match for the destruction. This world had no magic, there was no way to cast a barrier…

Luz felt a mischievous smile light across her face as Amity’s eyes filled with worry. 

_This world had no magic._

The eagerness spread through Luz like wildfire. She bolted upright and held a hand out to Amity.

“Come with me. I want to show you something.” Luz grinned at her.

Amity bit her lip. 

“But Luz, the rain, shouldn’t we-”

“Do you trust me?” Luz interrupted, growing suddenly serious. 

Amity’s eyes widened. The human knew she was nervous, understood why, but the witch slowly nodded.

“More then anyone else.” Amity admitted, taking a deep breath and grasping Luz’s hand tightly.

Luz beamed as she pulled her crush to her feet, bringing their faces unexpectedly close together. A moment passed as her mind froze. Amity's face registered the same panic, her amber eyes widening. 

Neither of them moved. 

A burst of questions flooded through Luz. What were they now? How much had changed? Luz had never before been in a situation like this. Amity liked her. She liked Amity. Do they... talk about it? Or was it-

Thunder boomed again and Amity jumped closer into Luz's arms. She buried her head into Luz's chest before her entire body went stiff in panic.

Heat bloomed on Luz's face. She blinked. If things had really changed, then this was...

Luz shifted to hold Amity closer, moving her arms to wrap around the witch's back in a comforting squeeze. Amity let out an audible sigh and slowly, Luz felt the witch's panic leave. The witch nuzzled her face even closer and Luz let her chin rest on top of Amity's head.

The moment erased all question of where they stood. 

The wind picked up outside, a low howling breeze that rattled the entire cabin. The rain-front was moving through. Luz picked up her head and stared down at Amity a large smile on her face.

“Come on. We don’t want to miss it!” Luz whispered excitably.

Amity lifted her head to stare up at Luz with a furrowed brow.

“Should I be concerned about what ‘it’ is?” She asked, leaning back a bit to stare pointedly at Luz.

“Maybe.” Luz grinned teasingly, sliding her hands off of Amity’s back and grabbing the witch by the wrist lightly. 

“Luz!” Amity yelled as the human dragged her out the rickety front door and onto the front porch.

Luz looked up through the various holes in the roof above her. The sun had just barely risen above the horizon, and in the morning gloom the dark clouds surrounding them looked ominous. She felt the witch scoot closer. Luz looked over at her and found that Amity’s eyes were wide. They were staring out in front of them at the woods, her mouth hanging slightly open in surprise. 

“Amity Blight. Welcome to the human world.” Luz announced dramatically, holding out her free hand to gesture in front of them, while her other hand slid off of Amity’s wrist to hold her hand.

“It’s so... green.” Amity said after a small pause. 

Luz looked out with her. Amity was right. The Boiling Isles had taken her breath away from the moment she stepped through the portal. The two worlds were so vastly different in even just the little things. The grass surrounding them was overgrown and wild, turning the land into a sea of vibrant, emerald green. The trees surrounding them to the left and right were just starting to turn with the season. Their dark green leaves had begun to turn red at the tips in a beautiful contrast to the light brown of their trunks. 

Luz smiled. She had missed this view of course, but more then that, she didn’t realize just how badly she had wanted to share it with Amity.

The first drop of rain fell next to them through a hole in the roof, causing Amity to jump. It was soon followed by many more as the sky finally opened up and the view they had both been enraptured with was quickly taken up by a grey sheet of rain. Luz felt the cool moisture on her face and couldn’t stop the excited giggle that emerged from her chest. She launched herself forward, stopped at the very last moment by a pull on her hand. Just inches from leaving the safety of the overhang on the cabin, Luz turned around to see Amity staring at her with fearful eyes. She was frozen.

Luz squeezed her hand gently. “Ami. It’s ok. I promise.”

The fear in her crush’s eyes melted with Luz’s words. Amity took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 

“Alright.” She breathed out.

Luz grinned. She gently led Amity out from underneath the cover of the cabin and watched her flinch as the first drops of rain hit her pale skin. Amity’s eyes slowly opened, looking down in wonder at the droplets of water rolling harmlessly down her skin. 

The human's smile threatened to split her face in two. She let go of Amity’s hand and whooped loudly, holding her arms out to the side and letting the rain hit her skin.

"Oh, I’ve MISSED this!!!"

The excitement spread through her body like fire and soon Luz was running around and spinning, dancing in the rain as if she was three. She felt the thick grass kick up with water the more she stomped around in it. The splash encouraged her to move faster, kicking her feet out to launch the liquid in a spray all around her.

Once the fire in her chest had begun to die down, she turned to Amity. The witch was still, her head turned up to the sky in amazement as the water fell onto her face, slicking back her hair. Luz grinned mischievously. Sliding quietly behind her, the human slipped the pony tail out of her mint hair and it fell in a curtain down her neck. Luz felt the band slip out of her hand as she stared in amazement. Luz didn’t think she would ever tire of seeing Amity with her hair down.

The witch slowly turned around to face her. As soon as the girls locked eyes, Amity smiled, the shock and wonder leaving her face to be replaced with pure bliss. Luz suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

The water ran in waves down Amity’s face and hair. The pale girl had always looked beautiful before, but it was the expression on her face that really knocked Luz senseless.

“Amity-”

“Luz, I had no idea rain could feel this nice-“

“-will you be my girlfriend?”

Amity’s breath caught as Luz realized what had just slipped out of her mouth. 

That was too forward. Right? Oh titan, she’s never going to say-

“Yes.”

Luz’s entire world stopped. Despite the rain that poured around them and the wind that gently swayed the trees in the distance and lifted the ends of Amity’s hair ever so slightly, everything seemed to stand still.

“What?” Luz blinked.

“Of course I’ll be your girlfriend Luz.” Amity confirmed with a small, shy smile.

And the world continued. Suddenly the rain seemed so much louder. The colors around her, brighter.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try for better?” Luz asked genuinely. 

Amity scowled at her and Luz felt her insecurities melt away.

“Alright, alright! No need to glare. I’m going to warn you now though, I have no idea what I’m doing.” The human laughed nervously, lifting her arm up to scratch the back of her head.

“Well… I don’t exactly know either.” Amity admitted quietly.

“Whaaa? **The** Amity Blight doesn’t know what she’s doing? Did I grab the wrong witch to kidnap? Are you some sort of imposter?!” Luz teased with a grin.

In response, Amity whipped the water dripping off her arm directly in Luz’s face while the human laughed. 

“Ahhh! Now I’m being attacked!” Luz gasped dramatically. 

Amity smirked at her victory and Luz felt a familiar stutter in her heart beat. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. Holding her hand out, she bowed deeply.

“Will you, Amity Blight, my girlfriend _eeeeeee_ , care to join me for a dance in the rain?” 

Amity’s eyes widened at the invitation, before she giggled. 

“You are such a dork.” The witch laughed, taking Luz’s hand.

Their fingers interlaced as Luz grabbed Amity’s back, pulling her close. Together, giggling happily, they spun and danced their way through the grassy field. Amity closed her eyes, her face relaxed in expression of safety.

Luz thought she had never looked more beautiful.

Despite dreading this for months, the earth somehow seemed different then the human last remembered it. Looking down at the girl in her arms, Luz smiled. Her heart, her mind, they were all at peace. 

The rain continued to fall in sheets around them as the girls danced in the early morning gloom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd. That should about do it. 3 chapters to kick off part two. Who’s excited?! I know I am! You know I’ve been itching to write some Lumity fluff for so long. These two girls went through so much, I think it was about time to finally give them both a break. If you would kindly take a look up at the top of the page to note that this fic is tagged “Established Relationship”. That’s right. Lumity will be a thing throughout ‘A World Apart’. Does that mean there won’t still be insecurities and problems that these two face?
> 
> Hehehehe. Of course there will. Am a Polar. We can’t have the comfort without the hurt. The fluff without the angst. For now however... it’s raining. And our girls are dancing. Together. Finally free of the dangers they faced only moments before.
> 
> So quick work notes before I leave. During my break I got a vague outline of exactly where this story is leading and how I want to get there. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t find myself adding things as I go. Chapter 4 reminded me just how little control I have over these characters we love so much. So I don’t know how long this will be, or everything that will happen. All I know is that we are just getting started and there are some really wonderful and exciting things ahead. Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you in a little bit for chapter 4!! (Updates might be a little slower for awhile as work is just now starting to slow back to normal. But I figured since chapter 4 is practically done, and notes are down for 5 that I may as well move forward to post. And I missed writing.)


	4. Cleaning Wounds

“Maybe, try again? I think we came out of the portal just a little to the left…”

Luz sighed, her shoulders sagging as she adjusted her position, only to wince as a couple of drops of rain pelted her on the head from the hole in the roof.

Amity heard another hollow click as Luz tried the key once again.

“Nothing.” Luz echoed aloud the thoughts in the witch’s head.

They really were trapped here…

Amity looked at Luz’s back as the girl shook the water out of her short hair and she realized with a shock that she didn’t seem to mind. A part of the witch knew she should be freaking out, knew that she was a stranger in an ever stranger world, but the rest of her body buzzed. Amity felt almost as if she couldn’t catch her breath, her chest so light and so heavy all at the same time. She was terrified… but there was an excitement in her that she had never felt before. It may have been strange, but Amity wouldn’t change her situation for the world.

Luz turned to face her with a guilty look on her face, her eyes downcast as she looked at the strange key in her hands. 

Amity blinked as her mind once again reminded her of their situation. She wouldn’t change it for _either_ world. 

“I’m sorry Amity…” Luz apologized quietly, letting the key fall to her chest as her fists clenched at her side.

“Luz…” Amity called out softly.

The cabin was quiet. While the sun continued to rise, the two girls had eventually abandoned their dance in the rain as the cold autumn wind picked up and left them shivering. Now Amity sat alone, her legs crossed on a moldy old couch in the center of the room. 

She watched Luz drag her feet as she moved to plop down next to the witch. The fast movement and sudden weight was too much for the rickety thing as the couch creaked just once before a loud CRACK sent them both tumbling to the floor. 

“Annnnd, now I’ve broken a couch.” Luz announced sullenly from the pile of cushions and springs. Amity had somehow been flung away from the wreckage and was laid out on the ground next to her.

The witch couldn’t help but giggle. Luz’s face softened as she heard the laughter coming out her girlfriend.

Amity's mind froze. _Her girlfriend._ Was that even real? The rain, Luz’s face grinning as the human world rain fell in sheets around them, the way they spun and danced around without a care. There was no way that was all real. Amity had only imagined Luz’s quiet voice, asking her to be her girlfriend…

Right?

Luz smiled as she sat up, a spring launching itself past her face as her weight was removed from it. Luz hardly even flinched as it flew past her head. Neither of them looked away from each other as it clattered to the ground somewhere in the distance. Instead, the human simply held a hand out to help Amity up. Amity grabbed it, thankful, and pulled herself into a sitting position. One that once again put her and Luz closer together then what should be normal.

A blush appeared on Luz’s face and Amity felt the heat race to her own face as well. 

If everything that had happened was true, then what even was the new normal?

Luz interlaced their fingers as her warm brown eyes left Amity’s own to look at their hands. 

“I know we’re stuck here, and that everything went soooo very wrong with the heist and all… but I’m really glad you’re here.” Luz admitted softly. “I don’t… I don’t exactly know what I would do if I lost you along with everything else.”

The air left Amity’s lungs. Was it supposed to be this hard to breathe when you’re this happy?

“I know that sounds really silly, but I’m just really happy.“ Luz grinned as she grabbed Amity’s other hand. “There’s so much here I want to show you. Like, Eda mentioned that you guys don’t have giraffes!” 

Amity giggled. She had read about the horrifying creatures that Luz called giraffes, the Boiling Isles had apparently cast them from their world a long long time ago. 

“Come on Luz, I may not know a lot about the human world, but I know those things are just myths.” 

Luz blinked and tilted her head slightly before a large grin grew on her face. “Alright, whatever you say Blight.” She said with a wink. 

Amity’s brow furrowed. They were just myths… right? There’s no way something with a neck that long would exist in reality. Amity didn’t really get a chance to think on it further as Luz shifted and another spring shot out from under her. This time the human wasn’t as lucky. The metal object shot straight past her eyes and it's sharp edge grazed her eyebrow. Luz recoiled in pain, her hands leaving Amity’s as they moved up to apply pressure to the injury.

“Luz!”

“I’m alright! But maybe we should get up and…” Luz suggested, peeling her hand slowly away from her face. Her words trailed off as she saw the blood that was smeared across it.

Amity looked up in horror to see a large gash cutting across Luz’s brow. Blood began to stream freely from it as Luz continued to stare at her hand, her eyes wide. The witch bolted to her feet, helping Luz up as they made their way out of the minefield of foam, metal and wood. Moving quickly, Amity guided her to a table in the center of the room. Looking around she desperately tried to find some sort of cloth, anything to help stop the bleeding. As she frantically glanced around, Luz grabbed her by the wrist.

“Hey, wait.” The human whispered gently. 

Amity whipped around sharply to face her. Luz had a small, weak smile on her face. 

“I’m ok, really. It’s just a scratch.”

“What are you talking about? Luz, you’re bleeding! There’s no healing magic here either… what if it get’s infected? Or doesn't close right? I finally get the nerve to tell you how I feel and now I’m going to lose you to some stupid metal piece of human junk?!” Amity blurted out in fear, her hands clenching into fists as she continued to look around her.

To her surprise, Luz laughed. Sliding her hand off of her wrist, the human instead wrapped her fingers around Amity’s own and gently gave them a squeeze. 

“Hey now, I’ve lasted a very long time without healing magic. It's a fact I'm pretty proud of honestly. So I’m not going anywhere. Especially not from this little cut.”

Amity’s mind raced, Luz’s words not quite cutting through her panic. Everything was going so good… of course it was going to crumble down eventually. Nothing in Amity’s life ever stayed. Even when this was so much more important then anything else she had experienced before. Luz was her hope, she was her light. 

Now she was sitting there hurt, and Amity finally realized just how useless she felt.

“Amity.” Luz called out to her, squeezing her hand tighter. “I mean it. I’m not going anywhere. I believe that’s literally now my job as your girlfriend.”

_Girlfriend._

Amity's eyes shot up to Luz's face. If the blood running down the side of her face wasn’t enough of a shock, the word she had just used was. This was real. All of it.

"Ok.” Amity breathed, trying to gain her composure. “Ok. So… what do human’s usually do when they get hurt?” 

Her heart was still racing as Luz laughed again. “Well normally I go home and after my mom yells at me a bit, she patches me up. Good as new.” 

“Your mom yells at you when you're hurt?” Amity asked quietly.

Luz’s eyes widened as she realized in a moment exactly what Amity was afraid of. 

“No no no! Not like that Amity. It’s more like, _‘Oh mija, why did you think jumping across those rocks was a good idea again?’_ ” Luz explained, attempting her best grown-up expression. “She’s never _actually_ mad. Mostly just… disappointed.” 

It was Amity’s turn to squeeze the girl’s hand gently. Her girlfriend’s hand. 

Her _girlfriend._

Oh titan that was going to be a hard word to get used to.

“Oh." Amity managed to say softly, despite the short-circuiting in her mind. "I guess that makes sense." 

"I can't wait for you to meet her."

Amity blinked. 

" _What?!_ "

The word echoed around the silence of the cabin. Luz flinched at the loud outburst and Amity felt heat rise to her cheeks. She hadn't meant to be that loud. 

"Amity, as your kidnapper and your now girlfriend, I must insist you meet my mother." Luz laughed, her eye squinting just a bit as a drop of blood fell past it and onto the floor.

Amity chose to concentrate on the injury, instead of on the fact that it was now twice that Luz had used the word her brain still refused to recognize.

"That's," Amity pointed at Luz's eyebrow, "getting worse. I'm going to go find something to clean it up before you bleed out." The witch said hurriedly as she spied what looked to be a bathroom tucked away behind the staircase.

"Ok. But we are talking more about whatever that was when you get back!!"

"We'll see!" Amity shot back, her voice echoing in the hallway of the cabin. She walked slowly, trying to get her nerves under control. So much had happened and her brain was struggling to keep up. She decided to count what had happened down, in order to calm herself. Reciting the facts and what she knew rather then swirling around in questions.

1\. She had finally confessed to Luz.  
2\. In response to her confession, Luz had pulled her into another world.  
3\. They were both now stuck in this world. The portal was gone and the key didn't work.  
4\. Luz liked her back.  
5\. ... Luz _liked_ her back. 

She walked straight past the bathroom door, overcome with such giddiness that she felt her hands begin to tap at her sides and she bounced on the heels of her feet. 

_Luz. Liked. Her. Back._

Taking a deep breath, she looked around her and realized she had gone too far. Glancing back down the hallway to where Luz was, just to make sure the human hadn't seen whatever, _that_ was, Amity turned around and ducked inside. 

Despite the dust that covered just about everything, the bathroom was the first thing she had seen that was fully intact. It was almost completely bare, there was no shower curtain, was no toilet paper, no anything. The witch's heart sank and worry began to eat at her once again. The cut wasn't deep, but if it kept bleeding it could get into Luz's eye and cause temporary blindness. Amity didn't want to know just how much trouble they would be in if the witch was left to guide them both through a world that she had never experienced before. 

Opening the medicine cabinet she found only a couple of empty glass bottles and shut it quickly, finding nothing of use. Bending down she checked under the sink. She had almost shut the cabinets, finding the space empty, but something caught her eye at the last moment. Getting down on her knees she reached into the far corner and pulled out a brilliantly white and suspiciously clean cloth. Something about the material felt familiar but Amity decided not to question her luck, choosing instead to believe that someone had simply forgot it, rather then the million suspicions that ran through her head. 

She practically ran back to Luz's side, cloth clutched in hand. 

"Hey I found this weirdly clean cloth and we aren't going to question it at all annnndd..." Amity trailed off, walking into the more open living room and trailing off. 

Luz had her hand held to her forehead and was leaning against the kitchen table, looking as if she was on the verge of sleep. Her eyes drooped and her head was dangerously close to touching the old splintered and dusty wood of the table. 

Amity gave a small smile and walked over to the girl slowly. She hesitated a moment as she held her hand shakily out in front of her. Luz still hadn't noticed her. Taking a deep breath, Amity lurched forward, setting her hand on the human's shoulder with quite a bit more force then she intended to. 

"GAH!" Luz yelped in alarm, slipping off of the table and only barely catching herself. 

"I'm sorry!!" Amity apologized quickly, her eyes growing wide. 

Titan she was blowing this. She was finally in a relationship with a wonderful girl and she was blowing it. _So much for all the books I read._ Amity thought miserably as Luz scrambled to get herself back together. 

"Mghm, everything is fine! I'm good, definitely not asleep! Who said anything about being tired?!" Luz squealed as she turned around to face Amity with large, forced, grin. 

The grin slipped as she stared at the cloth in Amity's hand. 

"Whoa, that's like the cleanest thing in here! Nice find!"

Amity blushed at the compliment, glad that Luz didn't find a need to question everything like she did. The human reached out her hand to take it and Amity lifted the cloth up and out of reach. 

"No. The eye is a sensitive area. I'm not going to have you go blind because you can't see what you're doing." Amity said sharply. 

Luz's eyes widened. 

"Wait. That's a thing that can actually HAPPEN?! I thought that was just a plot device thing that only happened in shows and books!!" She exclaimed as her hand flew up to her eyebrow once more, trying to stop any more blood from leaking out of it. 

"Uh... no. That one is fact. I can, uh, I can explain it to you... if you want. While I'm cleaning up your eye that is!"

Luz nodded enthusiastically and took a seat at the table once more. Holding onto the very edge in between her legs, the human leaned forward and closed her eyes. 

"Wait. Hold on. I should probably get this wet first. To you know, clean the wound..." Amity trailed off, looking around for a way to get some water.

"Just hold it under the rain. Betcha none of these sinks work anyways." Luz's voice came came from behind her. 

Glancing over her shoulder Amity saw the girl still leaning forward and waiting. Biting her lip, she turned around to the hole in the roof that Luz had been under earlier. Taking another quick peak at Luz to make sure her eyes were still closed, Amity walked over and gently held her hand into the stream of rain again. 

It was... amazing. It still felt as incredible as it had the first time. Rain on the Boiling isles had never felt this wonderful before, in fact it was the complete opposite. Here the rain was clean, it was cool, it was... magical. Amity blinked. She pulled her hand back to her chest as the word burned in her brain. Magic. She was in a world without magic. It was so easy to forget with everything that had happened, but there was an emptiness in her chest as she stretched out her fingers. Holding out her hand once more the witch tried drawing a spell circle but there was nothing. Amity finally felt the absence of the magic that used to spark so abundantly from around and within her. 

Her other hand curled around the fabric of the cloth. Right. The cloth. Luz's eye. 

Amity practically tossed the material into the steady flow of rain, desperate to bring herself back to the task at hand. As soon as it was satisfactorily soaked, Amity walked stiffly back to Luz’s side, taking note on how Luz’s smile seemed to widen as she heard the witch approach. Amity felt her heart flutter at the thought.

“Alright. This may sting a bit. Just concentrate on my voice ok?”

"Wait!!" Luz cried out suddenly, her eyes finally opening and looking panicked.

"What? What's wrong?!" 

"Get my bag!" 

Amity frowned, before looking to the ground where Luz's bag had been launched from the portal. The witch held her hand out to draw a spell circle before quickly snatching it back, realizing her mistake with growing horror. She was hyper aware of Luz's eyes on her as she moved swiftly to grab it and bring it back, refusing to look at the human the entire time.

It was only when the bag was back in her arms that Luz seemed to relax. Amity couldn't help but peak as Luz dived into it, shifting around both of their masks from the heist, a massive amount of glyphs, and some spare glitter contained in small thin vials that Amity was almost sure the girl had stolen from her potions class. 

"Ha! Found it!" Luz announced suddenly, holding a box proudly above her head. "Dun dun dun duuuun! We've got, _bandages_." Luz chuckled as she set them on the table with a large grin. "Told you I always come prepared."

Amity stared at the box of bandages on the table. They were multi-colored children's band-aids with character icons that Amity didn't recognize. It must've been from the human world.

"Do you just plan on eventually getting hurt or were these for something else?" Amity asked dryly.

"Look. I've got some long limbs, and sometimes they no work so good." Luz laughed, wiggling her arms and legs as if to prove her point. "I learned it's always better to be safe then sorry and even more better not to come home with blood staining your clothes." 

Amity rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. "Well. So long as you're aware of it." She laughed as she gripped tightly to the cloth again. "You ready?"

Luz nodded, her smile transforming into a thin line as she braced herself. "Yes. But maybe... explain the whole bloody eye thing to me while you do it? It is starting to hurt... just a bit..."

The human closed her eyes once again as Amity brought the cloth gently up to her head. As soon as she applied the first bit of pressure, she began talking, knowing Luz would want the distraction. 

“So, technically blood splashing into your eye won’t make you go blind. It can cause temporarily vision problems, but a careful cleaning can help help wash it out. We just don’t have anything to clean eyes right now. The real reason people say that you can go blind is if you have internal bleeding of your eye. The blood can get stuck in a specific layer of your eye and dramatically increase the pressure in it. That’s what can cause you to go blind.” Amity explained carefully, letting the facts flow through her as she brought her hand up and down to scrub at the wound on Luz’s forehead. 

While Luz would occasionally flinch, she remained still and silent, listening intently to everything Amity had to say. It was strange… having someone to share these things with. Not someone who she had to prove that she knew what she knew, but just a person who was genuinely curious in the things the witch said and explained.

“So… hhhfffff” Luz hissed as Amity dabbed a bit at the deep part of the cut, “if the blood had dripped into my eye, there wouldn’t be any seeing through it until we properly cleaned it up.”

Amity nodded before remembering Luz couldn’t see her. Instead she hummed in approval as she set the cloth aside on the table and ran her thumb gently over Luz’s injury, trying to see if it was still bleeding.

“Yep. Which is why I wanted to clean it up now. Luckily it doesn’t look too deep. I don’t even think you’ll scar.” Amity smiled as she pulled her thumb away and looked at it.

No more blood.

Luz seemed to deflate a bit at her words.

“No scar?! Awwwww. That sucks. I mean just imagine how cool would I look with an eyebrow scar. I could be like… an evil villain or something.” 

Amity held back a laugh as she grabbed a bandage from Luz's box. Taking a deep breath, she prepared it, peeling off the paper from the adhesive and lining it up with the girl's brow.

"Sorry to break it to you, but your face will probably remain intact and heal just fine.” She said with a small smile, carefully setting the bandage against the cut.

Satisfied, Amity leaned back. "Alright. All done."

Luz peaked her eyes open. She glanced to her side where the cloth lay on the table before turning back to Amity with wide eyes.

“You’re really good at that.” 

“What?”

“Healing.” Luz nodded, pointing to her eyebrow. “It doesn’t even really hurt now. You were so calm about it too… thanks.”

Amity felt herself blush. “Oh… it’s no problem.”

The cabin fell quiet as the girls sat in awkward silence. Amity didn’t know what to say, and Luz just kept _looking_ at her. There was a question in the human’s eyes, Amity could feel it, but she never aired it. The silence began to eat at the witch… was Luz afraid to talk to her now? Worry swarmed back into her body and mind. Perhaps the confession was too sudden. Their emotions had been running high for a couple of days now. Luz was probably beginning to regret asking her out…

“Amity?”

_Here it comes._

“Did you ever want to take… healing? At Hexside I mean. It’s just… you seemed to know exactly what to do, and you’re really good at it…”

Amity’s breath caught in her throat. The question wasn’t at all what she expected, and her mind eagerly latched onto it, trying to ignore it’s swarming anxiety. Amity couldn’t catch herself fast enough. Couldn’t conjure up a wall in time. Her mind shifted from worry as her stomach twisted and dropped.

“Yes. When I first learned of all the tracks and all the covens I wanted to take healing… but I… they…” Amity stopped mid-sentence, finding it impossible to continue. Suddenly her throat felt way too tight. It began to ache as seconds passed and she was still silent. The witch grabbed her arms tightly as she felt herself begin to shake.

Luz’s eyes widened almost immediately as she saw the girl in front of her break down.

“Ami we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I was just curious.” Luz assured her as she grabbed the witch comfortingly by the arms.

Amity merely nodded.

“Thanks…” She breathed out in a hoarse whisper. “I’m sorry I just-

“Hey, don’t apologize. Don’t even worry about it.” Luz interrupted her, beaming confidently. “It’s probably hard to talk about, I get that.”

The sound of the rain outside began to quiet as Amity felt her body relax in Luz’s hold. Her words were more comforting then they had any right to be as the witch let them wash over her.

“But hey, we should probably talk about the whole, ‘ _What?!_ ’ response you had to meeting my mom.” 

Amity winced. “I know…”

“I mean, I don’t know why you’re so nervous, adults love you! Bump believes anything you say, and you’ve got that sweet gig worked out with the library staff.”

“Those are different!”

“How?”

Amity paused, biting her lip. “Well for one thing… I’m not, you know…” Amity froze again, the word getting stuck in her throat. She had been dreaming of this moment forever now, writing about it in her journal. Dating. Girlfriend. The words were like hurdles in her mind. Ones that she just kept tripping over.

Her face burned as Luz smiled mischievously.

“Dating their daughter?” Luz grinned as Amity flushed red.

“Yes… that.” Amity admitted shyly, before her face hardened. “Besides, how are you even planning on explaining all of this to her?!

“Explaining what?” Luz looked at her blankly.

Amity’s mouth flapped open and closed wordlessly. Was Luz kidding? Was she that tired? Did she not see the many incredible problems that could come from bringing a girl from another world home with her?!

That’s when Luz’s face finally shifted.

“¿Cómo voy a explicar esto?” The words slipped from her slack mouth as horror registered in the human’s eyes. 

Amity furrowed her brow only to jump back in alarm as Luz burst to her feet. 

“Oh my titan, Amity what am I going to do?! What am I going to tell her?!”

“You didn’t have anything planned out at all?!”

“Nooo!! I just thought maybe some magical mcguffin thing would happen and I wouldn’t have to explain where I’d been all summer! I wasn’t exactly expecting to bring back a witch girlfriend with no place to live either!” Luz exclaimed as she began to pace. 

Amity could only stare. Luz always had a plan, and she knew this had been coming almost all summer. Did she really have no idea how she was going to break it to her mother?! Suddenly the human stopped pacing, straightening as if struck with an idea. She slowly turned to the witch with a neutral expression.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I can’t exactly tell her the full truth right now anyways. I’ll just… avoid talking to her about anything specific until we convince her that you _need_ to stay with us." Luz explained with a nod to herself.

"Luz..."

The human avoided her eyes, looking intently at a spot on the ground. Amity didn’t need to read the expression on her face, didn’t need to dissect the slouch of her shoulders. She had seen Luz’s fear after all. 

The silence swarmed in as Amity’s ear twitched. The silence…

Luz looked up to the roof as she heard it too. The rain had stopped.

It was time to leave. 

Luz looked at her with wide eyes. It was time for Amity to really experience the human world. The safety and warmth of the cabin suddenly felt overwhelming as soon the witch realized she would have to leave it. Her breath quickened as her throat dried. Her body began to buzz with panic. Amity was thrown into a world in which she knew absolutely nothing. Not having her powers, not having her knowledge, she was completely powerless. Completely helpless.

She heard something shift next to her and a warmth began to encompass her hands. It hurt to move her head, but Amity forced herself to look at what had changed. Staring down, she saw tan hands holding her own.

Luz was standing right in front of her, their hands nearly tucked into the girl’s uniform with how close their bodies were. Amity closed her eyes and concentrated on her warmth. So maybe she _was_ powerless. Maybe she didn’t know anything about where she was, or what was going to happen next, but Luz was here with her. Her first true friend. The girl who saw her for everything but ‘just a Blight’. The girl who could come up with a plan for just about anything. 

The girl who despite everything she knew about Amity’s past, having been poorly treated by her before, still stared at her in wonder. Still always tried to be closer to the witch. 

Luz. Her girlfriend.

“Are you ready?” Luz’s voice asked her softly.

Amity opened her eyes and looked above them. Somehow they had ended up under one of the larger holes in the ceiling. The clouds were starting to part and the early morning sky was lavender as the sun continued it’s slow rise. 

“To meet your mother? No. Absolutely not. But if you’re with me… then maybe… I could be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo this chapter is kinda all over the place. I apologize.  
> Anyways, welcome back to Polar has no control over the characters or story she is telling~
> 
> That's right. More unexpected scenes for the win. So our girls have a plan... maybe. Probably not. We'll see what happens at least. I think something I just want to add to this whole thing is that, these girl's are 14. They've had alot of experiences that have made them mature but also they are awkward. They are kids and crushing, even if they are in a relationship. Poor Amity is feeling that ten-fold now. Italicized unbelieving _girlfriend_ for the win. Maybe one day the girl will be able to accept it. 
> 
> Or maybe not. xD
> 
> Anyways, notes are down for chapter 5. It should go fast and I'm really, really, really excited about it. We are checking in on some characters who I think you all will be excited to hear from.


	5. Supernova

Emira Blight was on a war path. Her footsteps echoed throughout the sleepy neighborhood as each step she took crunched gravel and dirt out of her way. Nothing and no one was about to stop her from what she planned on doing.

“Em. Wait!”

No one except _him_ it seemed.

“Keep up Ed. I’m not waiting around. They've had this coming for far too long.” The emerald haired witch growled, her pace increasing. 

They were flying through the neighborhood now, practically at a sprint.

“Had what coming?! Em maybe we should stop and talk about this.”

“We did. Mitten’s friends talked all they needed to. Now it’s time we do something about all that _talk _.” The twin spat out bitterly.__

__“Ok. Ok. Say we do something about it, what happens then?” Ed continued from behind her, breathing heavily as he kept his sister’s pace._ _

__Emira kept walking. Of course she knew what would happen then. They would get revenge and then… and then-_ _

__Her foot caught as she nearly stumbled and lost her balance. The fire in her heart and mind burned at her to keep going, but the question had her frozen. The witch heard her twin skid to a stop beside her._ _

__“It won’t bring Amity back…” His voice came quietly with the gentle morning breeze._ _

__Emira didn’t have the patience to let herself match his volume. Didn’t have the energy to fight the anger within her._ _

__“I know that! But we can’t… we can’t just let them get away with they did! You heard the same thing I did! Mom hit her! She forced her to hide it from all of us!! _WE CAN’T JUST DO NOTHING!_ ” She snapped, her voice rising in volume as the situation crashed down around her. Her brother’s words echoed in her ears over and over. _What then?_ _ _

_What. Then._ Why didn’t she have an answer?! Why couldn’t she come up with a solution to something as simple as that?! 

__She whipped around to face her twin. His head faced the ground and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Emira’s anger sputtered seeing the hopelessness on his face. Yelling at Edric was always like kicking a puppy, but this was so much worse. There was a noticeable slouch to his shoulders and it looked like her brother was barely able to hold himself up, the sadness so incredibly evident it hurt._ _

__Emira’s fists clenched as anger surged through her body once more. This time stronger. Faster. She could feel the magic boiling in her heart as her fingertips began to glow._ _

__There were rare occasions in which a powerful witch could get so worked up that their entire body surged with power, the magic practically sparking out of their body. It was a dangerous and unstable trait left over from the wild age, activated in times of great duress as a defense mechanism. It was also completely and strictly forbidden under the Emperor’s rule. Only those in his personal coven were taught to harness that magical emotion, to use it. However, without strict training, the powerful state it put a witch in was often extremely destructive to both the witch and their surroundings._ _

__The more Emira thought about the lies, the manipulation, and the abuse that Amity had to suffer, all because she was too blind to see the truth, the more her skin begin to literally burn. The longer she stared at Edric, her brother, completely heartbroken and hopeless all at the fault of their parents, _their caretakers_ the more furious she became. Soon the burning ceased to even phase her, the glow of magic traveling up from her fingertips until her arms were alight with power. Emira was already seeing red, and it outweighed the light blue glow that had begun to surround her._ _

__It was then that Edric opened his eyes. They were wide and watery but panic surged through them, the reflection of his sister’s glowing form highlighting the fear etched in his face._ _

“No no no, Em! You can _not_ go supernova now. Please! I need you! You can’t leave me alone!!” He pleaded, as his eyes watched the magic travel up her arms and to her shoulders. 

__His words struck something within her as Emira finally realized what was happening. She was the eldest, even if only by a couple of minutes. Her responsibility was to care for her siblings…_ _

__Even if she had failed Amity._ _

__The thought was like a brick, weighing down in her gut. She suddenly became aware of the pain and exhaustion coating her limbs. The anger still burning within her, the magic faded back into a dull glow. The long-haired twin’s mind numbed completely._ _

__Emira Blight was taught from a very young age to put responsibility and image over emotions. It would not be hard now to do the same. The burning sensation of her own power still lingering in her limbs faded away as a plan began to form in her mind._ _

__What happens then?_ _

__Nothing would happen. Getting revenge now would not help Amity. It wouldn’t bring them any closer to getting her back. Belos, her parents, they would still be looking for their sister even if she did manage to return._ _

__“I’m not going anywhere.” Emira growled finally, staring into her twin’s eyes with steely determination._ _

__His expression grew hopeful as they exchanged the glance. Ed and Em were twins by more then just birth. They shared everything. Emira didn’t have to tell Edric what she was thinking, because she knew he was already thinking the same thing._ _

__“It’s going to be hard, Em. You need to keep your emotions under control.” Ed warned her gently._ _

__Emira nodded. “No promises, but you’ll have to do most of the talking.”_ _

__“So biiiiig change from the normal eh?” Edric grinned._ _

__Emira couldn’t quite return the smile, instead offering a simple grimace._ _

__Ed flapped his hand, the spark returning to him as he was given a purpose. “Relax. We got this.” He assured her, his smile slipping slightly. “For Mittens.”_ _

__“For our baby sister.” Emira nodded._ _

__***_ _

__The front door of the manor slammed open and it took all of Emira’s willpower not to immediately launch a spell. Instead, she remained rooted to her spot right by her brother, waiting patiently on the couch, perfectly obedient._ _

__The text had come through only shortly after the siblings had arrived home to an empty house._ _

_\- I expect both of you to be in the living room waiting for when me and your father return. We have some matters to discuss._

__"Edric, Emira!" Odalia's voice called sternly._ _

__"In here mother!" Edric responded dutifully, shooting Emira a look._ _

__They had to sell this._ _

__Emira took a deep breath trying to calm herself. Her anger was controlled just under the surface but there was another emotion hidden almost expertly there as well as she felt her back straighten. It made her heart race and palms sweaty._ _

__She was afraid._ _

__Two sets of footsteps echoed down the empty hallway. In a flash a pair of robed coven members loomed above them. The taller member removed his mask first, revealing a mess of disheveled hair. Alador Blight looked down at the two kids in front of him and rolled his eyes. Sighing he swept across the room and hung his staff over the large decorative fireplace. Drawing a quick spell circle his robes disappeared and were replaced in a flourish with slacks and fancy button up shirt._ _

__The other figure had yet to move at all, the beak of her mask scanning the two teens as if they were intruders in her home. Emira felt Edric melt underneath their mother's unseen glare and the young witch shifted her hands a bit as she felt pinpricks of magic gathering at her fingertips._ _

__Eventually Odalia brought a hand up to gently take off her mask, her normally tight, pulled back hair, loose and fraying. It was then that Emira noticed the bright green staining around several rips and tears on her otherwise pristine white robes. It looked like even the Head of the Emperor's Coven wasn't fully able to escape Willow and Luz's plants. Looking up into those cold grey eyes it was far more evident then ever just how stressed the older witch had become. The dark circles bagging under her eyes gave her a haunted look. Emira fought back a smirk. Finally, after years of sickeningly smooth and ageless skin, her mother seemed to be showing her age._ _

__"I'm sure even the two of you have noticed by now that your sister is missing." Odalia started, turning her nose up in disgust as she paced before the twins._ _

__Emira shot a quick glance to Ed and took his lead as they both remained quiet and still, simply nodding to show they understood._ _

__"Amity is no longer a Blight. She is a criminal, a scoundrel and an enemy of the Empire. She..." Odalia paused, appearing for a moment as if she had lost her composure, the moment passed and her face hardened, growing colder then ever. "She has gone on the run, and we have all been ordered by Belos himself to turn her in the moment she attempts to contact any of us. He will decide her fate from there."_ _

__Emira's throat constricted, if she had not already been wrestling with keeping her emotions in check the information that was just shared would've caused an outburst on it's own. Edric was not as lucky. The quick and panicked sharp inhale was not lost on anyone in the room and Odalia's eyes shot straight to the culprit as Alador raised an eyebrow in the corner._ _

"Yes. Edric? Is there something you would like to say in defense of a _traitor?_ " Their mother questioned sharply, anger alighting in her eyes. 

__The tension in the room was wound tightly, almost as if someone was holding down a spring ready to uncoil at the slightest provocation. Even the air held a dangerous feeling to it. Luckily her brother was prepared and recovered quickly._ _

__"Of course not mother. The news was simply unexpected is all." He replied plainly, masking his emotions almost robotically._ _

__Odalia simply hummed in response. She strolled over to Emira's side of the couch._ _

__"And you, my dear daughter, how do you feel about this development?" She asked, fake kindness leeching off of her voice._ _

__She felt Ed stiffen next to her in panic, knew he was concerned, but the twin ignored it all the same._ _

__"Well? Didn't you always secretly hold a soft spot for your sister?" Odalia sneered._ _

__Emira felt her heart twist painfully. Both the twins loved Amity, even if they were terrible at showing it sometimes. Now she was gone... and perhaps it was too late to ever air those feelings aloud._ _

__It was almost exactly what they needed to be truly believable._ _

__"You cannot have a soft spot for a sister who no longer exists." Emira growled finally, harnessing her anger to fully sell her performance._ _

__Odalia smiled._ _

__It had worked._ _

__"Excellent." Odalia commended. “If you both understand then it’s time for you two to return to your rooms. As the only heirs to the Blight name more responsibility will begin to rest on your shoulders. This is your second chance. Do. Not. Squander. It.” Odalia threatened dangerously._ _

__“Yes ma’am.” The twins echoed each other as they were dismissed by a wave of their mother’s hand._ _

__Slowly climbing the steps, Emira kept her ears back, listening._ _

__“Did you have to change out of your uniform so early Alador? Who is to say when we’ll be summoned back?”_ _

__“You saw as clearly as I did. The entire lower floor was filled with his magic. Belos will be busy trying to repair the exploded portal all morning. I doubt he’ll require us until he knows for sure if that… human, and those delinquents actually ruined it for good this time.”_ _

__“Be quiet you idiot! Belos strictly ordered that we not speak of what happened.”_ _

__“We _have_ to speak about what happened _dearest_. I have the right to know exactly what happened tonight. How Amity was involved.” _ _

__“Then we do it in the kitchen. With a silencing spell.”_ _

__Emira had heard enough, she grabbed Edric’s arm tightly as she heard the kitchen door swing softly shut. Dragging him back down the steps, they crept softly towards the kitchen._ _

__“What are you doing?!” Ed hissed as his twin crept closer and closer, squatting down behind the door._ _

__“We decided to play along to get all the information we could right? Well, I want to know what Belos plans on doing next.”_ _

__Ed’s eyes widened as a knowing smile slowly spread on his face. Emira nodded to him as she turned back to the kitchen door drawing a small spell circle that maintained it's shape as it hovered in the air. Giving it a gentle wave, it begin to travel forward, hovering in the air as a bright blue ring._ _

__“Alright,” She said as the circle she cast began to draw closer to the silencing spell, “let’s see what precious information we can give right to Eda tomorrow.” Emira grinned as she shoved her hand forward, pushing the circle roughly into place, right in the center of the door and spell._ _

__The two spells interacting immediately caused a bright flash to appear, and when the light faded, Edric gasped._ _

__Suddenly they could see the room through the hole it created. Grinning, Emira reached forward and turned the glowing portal almost like a disc, adjusting it as static began to leech through. Finding the sweet spot, their parents voices echoed freely into the living room. Having mastered illusions, Emira didn’t need to worry about whether or not her parents would see or hear her. It was a one way spell. Their parents would be none the wiser._ _

__Which is why both twins about jumped out of her skin as the first sentence they both heard was:_ _

__“What is that?!”_ _

__Emira lurched forward to peer through her spell to find that her father, the voice behind the accusatory sentence was facing away from them, looking sharply at Odalia who had something clutched in her fist._ _

__“It’s nothing. Just a piece of trash I should’ve cleaned up a long time ago.” Odalia said airily, tossing the object to her side. Emira watched as it missed the trash entirely and instead fluttered to the ground._ _

__Her curiosity was swiftly interrupted as Alador stepped in front of the paper and lounged against the counter._ _

__"Moving on then. The spell is up. What is going on?”_ _

__“So it seems like Amity has been lying to us for a couple of days at the very least. Belos had known of the human’s scheme to steal the portal for awhile now, and let the events play out, hoping that Amity would be the one to stop it. The inconsiderate whelp however thought it was best to aide the human in her treachery, growing fond of the despicable thing in the process."_ _

__Alador hummed, but it came out more like a growl. "Of course. We give her every opportunity a witch could ever possibly ask for and she throws it all back in our face."_ _

__Emira frowned, sitting back. Her curiosity outweighed her emotions as she shifted, still trying to see what her mother had tried to throw away._ _

"It does seem that way. Perhaps we gave her too much. Perhaps we wrote off the twins too early. Focusing almost entirely on Amity seems to have made her _spoiled_." Odalia pondered airily, her frame still being blocked by Alador‘s. 

__"It seems we weren't strict enough. Her attitude the past few days had been growing tiresome anyways. Good riddance I say. She always was a bit too disobedient for my taste. A witch with that much power and wealth and yet never grateful. Despicable. Her and the human creature deserve each other and the punishment they'll surely receive." Alador rumbled angrily, getting up and pacing as his lecture continued._ _

__Emira could feel the anger radiating off of him, growing more and more agitated by the second. Between the long calculated steps he took however, the twins finally caught sight of what Odalia had been so closely clutching onto._ _

__The piece of paper had unfurled itself to reveal a childish drawing of a girl with long brown hair, proudly wielding a long, elegant staff and completely dressed up in the Emperor's Coven robes._ _

__Emira felt sick at the sight of it. That was Mittens. Amity. She drew that for her mother on one of her first days at school, proudly running it by her older siblings first to see if 'Mom' would like it._ _

__Alador seemed to catch sight of crumpled up picture at the same time and marched towards the piece of paper practically looming over it, looking down with fire in his hazel eyes._ _

__With a huff, he ground his boot into the small drawing, completely ripping it under his weight. Satisfied, the graying man picked up the ruined drawing and straightened, turning just slightly to toss it into the garbage._ _

"Such lofty dreams." Their father growled menacingly, "Absolutely wasted on an ungrateful and unloyal _brat_." 

__Emira had seen and heard enough. She knew there was more to be learned from this conversation but the growing nausea she felt in her stomach forced her to stand. Waving her hand with a snap, she released the spell and marched up the stairs without another word, too disgusted to speak. Too disgusted to hear another word._ _

__She was only faintly aware that Ed was still kneeling in front of the door long after she left._ _

__***_ _

_**CRASH.** _

__A hollow echo of something loud and expensive shattered the silence of the second floor as Edric walked past his sister‘s room. For a moment he hesitated by Emira's door, his hand shakily hovering on the handle before his pointed ears twitched at another sound._ _

__Sobbing._ _

__Heavy, angry, painful rasps of breaths could be heard from inside. The sound shook Ed to his very core. It echoed off the hollowness he had felt inside ever since the morning when Amity didn't show up for school. It had grown, little by little as the day revealed new and horrifying things until the short haired twin felt as though his chest was completely empty. His body numb, he found he couldn't move from the spot he had froze._ _

__Edric had always been content to go with the flow. Sure he didn't mind being the brains of a team, but alone? Alone he felt like nothing more then one half, having grown up working side by side with his sister his entire life._ _

__Now Emira was unreachable, almost unrecognizable in her anger and all Edric could do was wish he could feel the same. Instead of this hollow nothingness. He knew he should he angry. He should be sad and honestly a bit scared, but his hands couldn't even hold a fist as his entire body felt exhausted in it’s emotions._ _

__Edric heard his parents moving around downstairs, instead of walking up the staircase, it seemed they headed out the front door. They were alone in the manor once more. The realization of just how empty his own home felt was what finally kicked Ed's body into action. He knocked gently on the door, shifting his body to sit back against Emira's room._ _

__"Em?"_ _

__A hiccup._ _

__"What?" Emira's voice was muffled, more then if it had simply been the wall blocking the sound. It was painfully obvious that his sister had been crying._ _

__"They're gone. Probably gone back to the castle."_ _

__After what seemed like forever, he heard his sister move from inside the room. Heavy footsteps dragged across the floor as if it pained her to physically move before Edric felt the thump of a body on the other side of the door. It slid down and met him in a sitting position._ _

__The twins sat, back to back. Despite dealing with the same heartbreak, the same confusion and fear, it felt as if more then a door had come between them._ _

__Without their little sister, something was lost._ _

__Even without their parents, their little family had been torn asunder and Ed didn’t know if it could ever be mended._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can’t have the fluff without the angst. And we can’t have someone being torn from this world without someone else feeling the effects of their loss. More specifically, two someone’s. 
> 
> How many people guessed that we would be hearing from Ed and Em? 
> 
> So a couple of chapter notes, if you can’t tell by now, A World Apart is going to my attempt to really make the world of The Owl House my own. I tried really really sticking to what we knew canon-wise for SAH, but this story grew far bigger then what we have currently for canon and that meant filling in some gaps. Let’s start it simple. The glowing, sparking emotional magic that Emira felt in this chapter is pretty much the exact same state we saw Eda enter in as soon as Luz was taken. Lilith, having trained in the coven for years was taught to master it, and Eda is extremely powerful so she didn’t have to struggle to maintain control over the power coursing through her at that moment. If Em had gone ‘supernova’ as Ed described it... well let’s just say it would’ve ended extremely badly, but she had no control. Not only had she lost her sister, but she had also failed Amity long before the young witch jumped through the portal...


	6. Bullies and Bushes

One thing Amity learned quickly about the human world was just how wide it felt. It didn't take the two girls long to stumble their way out of the woods the cabin was tucked into and back out into a quiet neighborhood. 

However, this neighborhood was nothing like any Amity had ever seen before. In the Boiling Isles buildings in the more rural parts, whether rich or poor, were clumped closely together, their rooftops fighting for the small shared space. Each one a unique shape with parts that moved or glowed and did just about everything in between. 

Here, the witch's breath caught in her throat as her and Luz emerged, hand and hand, from the tree line. 

This was a far cry from anything she had experienced before. Amity froze, trying to process everything around her. It felt almost like looking at a grid with what she had to assume was the human's version of Insta-Stone outlining practically everything. In the Boiling Isles it was used sparingly, mostly for large buildings, but here the humans used it as their roads and pathways. It was overwhelming to say the least. It framed everything. Lawns. Houses. It even surrounded some trees. 

Luz tugged her hand gently as she brought them forward and onto the path. 

"It's ok. Really nobody is even up this early anyways. It should be a straight shot home and then we can get changed and I can show you my room, and OH, you have GOT to see the collector's items for Azura here in the human realm. I've got a couple of them myself, but most I have bookmarked online." Luz babbled on happily, while Amity let her mind go blank, trying not to get overwhelmed with everything she was seeing.

She tried to keep her eyes forward, following where Luz lead her, but she couldn't help but notice just how 'tamed' everything seemed to be here. The grass in the neighborhood was still a vibrant green but it was cut down to near perfection, the gardens full of flowers so near perfect that they looked fake. The witch squinted but she couldn't see any teeth or thorns on anything and the only movement they made seemed to just be swaying in the early morning breeze.

At some point Luz led them across the street, and that was when Amity saw the first thing that truly made her freeze. The witch stopped dead in the middle of the road and stared at the thing which was parked along the side of the street. Judging from the wheels on the bottom of it, wheels unlike anything she'd ever seen, Amity assumed it had to be the human's version of a cart. That wasn't what really shocked her however, it was the fact that it was so clearly made out of pure metal. 

Luz's eyes grew wide as she looked around them worriedly. 

"Ami, we really shouldn't stop in the middle of the road, even if its early we could still get hit." The human said worriedly, gently pulling on Amity's hand to lead her out of the road. 

Amity let her girlfriend pull her to the path again but she didn't move an inch as she stared at the cart they were now right beside. Luz looked between her and it before understanding flashed in her eyes. 

"Oh you probably have never seen a car before. It's how we get around in the human world. Kinda like your carts." Luz explained with a patient smile, squeezing Amity's hand gently. 

Amity stared at it a little longer.

"But... how does it run? It's pure metal! How does it even move?!" 

Luz laughed and Amity's face burned. Of course it was probably common knowledge to her. The witch's shoulders raised to her ears which were flat against her head in embarrassment and shame. It felt so wrong not knowing something. For the longest time, Amity was Luz's go-to for knowledge, explaining simple Boiling Isles concepts and facts to the wide-eyed human. Now the roles were reversed and Amity felt her uselessness churn in her gut. 

"I'm sorry..." The witch mumbled with her face down. "That was probably a stupid question."

"Hey, hey! Don't apologize. Really Amity. It's okay." Luz smiled brightly. "Cars are just not really my thing. There's a lot of convoluted mechanics to making it run. Without magic we humans have had to adapt."

"But... how are you able to bend metal like that? Even the most talented Construction Coven members struggle with metal! And how does it even move? That thing must weigh a ton!" Amity asked, her mind reeling. 

Luz said there was no magic in this dimension but the creation beside her now seemed impossible. Carts were simple. Wooden frames with wooden wheels and magic was used to make it go. Depending on the weight they would hook up various demons or beasts to it as well. This thing in front of her had nothing even remotely familiar to the witch. Staring at it she felt more lost then she had ever before.

"Well, don't quote me on this, but it's mostly electricity. It's got a battery and gas that makes it go. As for how it's shaped, well we have even larger machines that also run on electricity that bend the metal for us. Electricity is about the only magic humans really have. I like to think we adapted pretty well to using it for just about everything." Luz beamed proudly. 

Amity frowned, seemingly getting stuck on something that Luz had said earlier. It would make sense, a lot of rare demon liquids were used to help power things in the Isles. Gas was just a liquid in a different state, but if that was the case then what were the humans borrowing it from?

"Gas? Like-"

"No no! Not like butt gas!" Luz said quickly, shaking her hands in front her face to dispel the idea.

Amity giggled at the human's red face but her mind began to churn with the new information. It connected dots she didn't realize were there.

"So it's powered by electricity like when I turned on the control panel by the portal."

Luz beamed. "Exactly!! Though… now that you mention it, it was a bit weird that Belos had human-like machinery in his basement."

The witch turned back to the 'car', her face scrunched into a frown. Luz was right, it was weird. Even as Amity slammed her hand down on the panel, casting her magic she only had a vague idea that it might work…

"Can you power it?" Amity turned sharply to Luz with wide eyes and setting her hand on the car. She wanted to see Luz cast this 'human magic'.

Luz grew extremely nervous at the suggestion, her face quickly draining of color. 

"Um… no. Not because I don't want to show you of course!! But because this isn't ours. If I were to start this I would be in _A LOT_ of trouble."

"Oh I guess Eda hasn't rubbed off on you all the way then." Amity chuckled, eager to loosen the tension the human was suddenly filled with. 

It didn't work. Instead the words seemed to be a slap across Luz's face as Amity watched pain register in her brown eyes. Luz quickly shook it off, playing the part of nonchalance almost scarily well as she laughed half-heartedly. Amity felt a cold dagger of guilt enter her heart. Her dumb joke had clearly hurt Luz. Of course she was missing her mentor. The girl had just been torn from her without even a goodbye. 

They sat there in their own emotional quiet for some time before some loud, rambunctious laughter echoed through the neighborhood. Luz stiffened in fear, fear that Amity had never seen on her before. The human whipped her head to face the laughter and Amity followed her gaze to see a group of 4 kids about their age coming around a corner. Amity's ear twitched as she tried to listen in to what they were saying just as Luz turned back to stare at her. Her eyes immediately locked on Amity's pointed ears. 

"Oh no. Oh titan I forgot! How could I forget?!" Luz reprimanded herself as she began to dig through her bag.

Amity stared blankly at her, this behavior completely foreign to the witch. Something about the way she was acting, the fear and panic so very clear in her eyes, it all felt suspiciously familiar. Luz had never shown this level of uncomfortableness before though, so why now, and why did she feel so sick watching Luz frantically search through her bag? Peering over her shoulder Amity saw that the group of kids were heading their way. It seemed like they still hadn't noticed the two girls yet.

As they drew close however, they both could very clearly make out a voice.

"Hahaha, come off it Red. You soooo did not." It jeered jovially.

Luz froze. The laughter that followed that comment seemed to reinvigorate her panic. She stopped searching through her bag and instead began looking around. Her eyes settled on a bush they were standing next to. Luz glanced behind her shoulder towards the group now heading towards them. She grabbed Amity's shoulders tightly and shifted the witch so her body was blocking her from the group's eyes.

"Amity I need you to hide." Luz said completely seriously, her eyes flitting back to the bush.

"What? Why? Luz what's wrong?!"

The laughter paused. It seemed like the kids had noticed them. Or at least noticed Luz. They started to make their way across the street as Luz none so gently shoved Amity towards the bush.

"Luz!" Amity protested.

"Oh well would you look at that!" A voice mocked from the distance. Luz stiffly turned to face it.

"Please." Luz whispered so quietly that Amity strained to hear it. "Just please, no matter what happens, _stay hidden_."

Amity shrunk into the bush without another word. The fear in Luz's voice was evident. Amity had only heard her this serious one time before. It always seemed to creep into her voice when someone was in danger so she did as she was told and stayed hidden, even as the kids surrounded Luz.

"Heya Luz-er! How's it going?" Amity heard a voice say almost too pleasantly.

Luz-er?

Suddenly Amity remembered the conversation they had shared a couple of days ago. _I never had a real friend until I came here."_ That was what Luz had confessed to her. That was why she was always going waaay out of her way for Willow and Gus. For her…

"Hi Red." Luz replied in a monotone. 

"Hey weren't you supposed to be at camp for the summer? Why are you back early? Did everyone there get sick of you already?" A different voice jeered, causing the group to laugh.

Amity's fists clenched at her side. That's why Luz's behavior had seemed so similar to her. How many times did she watch Willow take up that exact stance, saw the same fear in her eyes as Amity and her friends passed the plant witch in the hallway?

"Haha, very funny. Camp just let out early is all. I was just heading home."

"Home? Wasn't your mom the one that sent you away in the first place?"

Luz physically crumpled at words and Amity watched as she tried and failed to recover her stance. The words clearly weighing on her more then anything that was said before.

Amity felt a rush of possessiveness and protectiveness surge through her body. The witch bit her lip in an attempt to keep calm, tasting blood as her fangs pierced her flesh. Luz had practically begged her to stay hidden, and that desperate plea was the only thing keeping Amity from standing up.

Luz's silence was clearly an opening that the group did not waste. The one that Luz had called Red stepped forward a bit more.

"Eh knock it off you guys. Luz's mom only wanted to get her help. Isn't that right, Luz?" He asked calmly, as if inviting Luz into the trap that Amity so clearly saw. Luz almost seemed to flinch away from him as she submitted. Submitted. It was almost as if a stranger had taken Luz's place in front of her.

"It wasn't a camp for help Red…" Luz practically mumbled.

Amity watched as Red shot a look back to his cronies who all grinned. 

"That's a shame. We were all really worried about you." He said sympathetically, giving a painfully fake smile.

Luz seemed to straighten as her head cocked to the side. Amity had to turn away, the hopeful expression was too painful to bear as the former bully recognized exactly where this was leading to.

"You were?" 

"Of course! After the incident that you caused at school a lot of people started calling you a freak! I of course stood up for you." 

"You did? But why would yo-"

"I mean someone had to remind them all of what a Luz-er you really were! Come on, not even your own mother could stand you for another summer! I _would_ say that no one even noticed you were gone but that would be a lie. Truth is we all could finally breathe a sigh of relief without you weirding the entire town up with your dangerous ideas." Red lectured ruthlessly. 

Amity continued to stare intensely at a spot on the ground as she heard the entire group begin to laugh viciously. 

"Enjoy your walk back home! I would say see you at school, but we all know the principle isn't going to put up with you for another year." Red jeered as the group's footsteps begin to fade.

"Go back to camp and get some real help, _freak!_ " A different voice called as the sound began to grow farther and farther away.

Amity sat in the silence they left behind until she was positive they were out of sight. Luz still hadn't moved, hadn't said a word. She simply stared at the path underneath her as the bullies made their way down the street and turned the corner.

"What. Was. That?" Amity stated slowly, rising out of the bush to glare at Luz. "You knew exactly who they were so why did you hide me?! Bullies thrive when you're alone. Even you must know that!" 

Luz finally seemed to straighten at her words, and she looked up and gave Amity a weak smile. 

"Eh, Red is just all talk. He never really bothers me."

A lie. One that Amity didn't have time to address as even the weak smile Luz was able to muster seemed to slip off of her face. 

"Besides, I couldn't let them see you. I might be odd to them, but you're a genuine witch. With your ears and your fangs they would know something was up right away. And the human world has historically been really, really bad to witches." The human shivered at the thought. "Which, is a story I'm eventually going to have to tell you, but for now I just want to get home and change." She smiled softly, holding a hand out for Amity to take. 

The witch merely stared at it blankly. 

"Hurt me?" Amity echoed hollowly. "Those things they said… does that happen often?"

"No… well… sorta. They were a little more harsh then usual but I mean that's just cause they haven't seen me in awhile. Had to make up for lost time somewhere." She chuckled. "Don't worry, they're the real losers. It's like not even 6 am and they're just walking around the neighborhood looking for trouble. Who even does that?" Luz rolled her eyes in a giggle as she continued to hold her hand out in front of her. 

Amity sighed. It was clear that Luz was trying her best not to let what just happened get to her. Despite wanting to talk more about it and the churning in her gut, Amity took her girlfriend's hand and moved forward to lean against Luz's arm. 

They both seemed to tense at the sudden contact but Amity held fast. She wanted this. Wanted to be close to Luz. To have her feel the same comfort the witch did when Luz would hold her in a tight hug.

After awhile Luz breathed a sigh of relief, melting into the contact and setting her chin on Amity's head. 

"I'm sorry I pushed you into a bush…" Luz apologized sheepishly. 

"Luz?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time, I'm not staying hidden." Amity growled lowly, closing her eyes and squeezing her human's hand gently, finally letting herself relax as well. 

She felt Luz's gentle laughter rumble through her chest and felt a light flutter in her own as she enjoyed Luz's warmth.

"Whatever you say Blight." 

***

The walk back was filled with Luz's chatter as if nothing had ever happened. Amity tried her best to listen and keep up despite the events that just occurred. The human was talking about all of the things she got up to while she lived here, pointing out certain houses or in general directions always with some sort of outlandish story to go along with it. Amity clutched tightly to Luz's arm, letting her lead the way and conversation. It was nice… listening to Luz talk like this again. It felt like it had been ages since Luz didn't have anything dramatic or life-changing weighing down on her shoulders. Maybe for a moment, maybe in this dimension, they could just be normal kids. Just enjoying each other's company.

Normal. Amity didn't even know what that word meant. 

"Oh! And over there is where I found a possum, they're like long tube rats with adorable faces, and I built it a house out of cardboard!" Luz explained, pointing to a long thin rectangular hole along the road. "The thing is, cardboard melts in the rain and by the next night he was homeless again. So instead of leaving him out on the road, I brought him home with me." She chuckled.

Amity raised an eyebrow, of course Luz would bring a 'homeless' creature inside, it was just who she was. The witch knew exactly where this story was going however. Mom's usually weren't ok with random wild animals being brought inside, whether they were strict parents or not.

"Of course mom didn't seem to like Sir Weaselton as much as I did." Luz chuckled sheepishly, her cheeks growing pink with embarrassment.

"I can only imagine." Amity scoffed, a smile playing at her lips as Luz bumped into her playfully. 

Amity responded by leaning into her further causing both girls to giggle before Luz skidded to a dead stop and gasped.

"Oh! This, my dear Amity, is where yours truly really shined!" Luz grinned, gesturing to a tall metal pole.

Amity unhooked herself and crossed her arms, looking up at pole that had a singular metal branch that seemed to hang over the street. In truth, the witch had noticed a couple of these spaced evenly around the neighborhood. She turned to Luz with a raised eyebrow. 

"Oh really?"

"Yes really! Let me take you back to 4 years ago, when I was just a wee lad on the cusp of my 10th birthday." Luz started dramatically, curving her hands in front of her face to help create the scene. Amity smiled as she rolled her eyes. 

_What a dork. My dork._

"It was a cold, blustery day, and I was coming home from school when I passed by this very light pole. Gazing upon it, only one thought entered my young mind: _'I must stick my tongue to it.'_ And so… I did. And stuck I was. I had to wait for my mom to find me and get some hot water to melt the ice off my tongue. I couldn't speak properly for days after." Luz laughed, setting her hand gently against the pole almost affectionately.

"Ugh. You and Ed both. He did something similar one day while we were all training at the knee. Got his tongue stuck to one of the ruins up there. Only he didn't have the excuse of being 'too young'. Emira almost burned his whole tongue off just to spite him." Amity chuckled, remembering being extremely frustrated at the two of them that day.

Her stomach flipped.

"Ha! I knew there was a reason we got along so well! Us dorks seem to flock to each other." Luz grinned.

Again, Amity's stomach seemed to twist. Her siblings. They always seemed like they were just constantly hovering around her, that she could never escape their presence. Now that they were gone… it felt like a small hole had been slowly torn inside of her. It grew bigger as she let it sink in. 

Ed and Em… she may never see them again. They were gone, left alone with their parents. 

She left them alone with their parents.

Luz gently grabbed her hand and the growing hole seemed to pause in it's rapid expansion. 

"Hey." Her voice said softly. "We're going to find a way back right? We'll see them again. The twins, Eda, everyone. They'll find us." Luz continued, giving Amity's hand a faint squeeze.

Amity could only nod, her throat tight. She looked up at the large pole in front of her, trying to find something to concentrate on besides the worry that swarmed in her brain. The worry she had been fighting back since they had crashed through the portal and it disappeared into nothing. 

"Wanna say it with me?" Luz asked her gently. 

Again, Amity could only nod.

"Ok. On three. 1…2…3-"

"They'll find us." The two girls whispered together quietly into the early morning gloom. 

There was no response from the street or the light pole. No magic swirl to accompany their voices or anything. 

There was no magic at all.

"Let's go home." Luz said gently, almost sadly as she squeezed Amity hand once again.

"Yeah. Home…" Amity echoed softly as Luz pulled her close, wrapping their arms together.

They walked in quiet for a little longer, taking only one more turn as they ended up on a street that seemed more run down then the ones they had been on before. The lawns on this side of the neighborhood seemed slightly more unkept, the paths they were walking on more uneven. Luz seemed to gain more speed now, she was practically skipping as Amity guessed they got closer. Eventually they stopped in front of a small house, tucked back against the woods that seemed to surrounded the entire area. It was a plain 2 story building with plenty of windows lining the front wall along with one singular window that jutted out from the second story. There was a stony path that led up to 4 rickety looking steps in front of the front door. All around the house itself were large flowery bushes and the trees in the backyard seemed to practically lean against the house with their large branches, almost as if nature was trying to claim this house for itself.

Luz was practically buzzing with excitement now. She adjusted her grip on Amity's hand and took off at a run, launching them both down the path that led to the front door. Once there, she jumped over the front stairs and peered in through the small window on the door, leaving Amity behind on the first step.

This was it. 

She was about to meet her girlfriend's mother. 

Oh titan…

"Oh." Luz deflated a bit as she stepped back away from the door. "She must've left for her work already. Her shoes aren't by the front door."

Amity hated how her heart seemed leap at this information. Especially when Luz sounded so sullen about it. 

Straightening, Luz reached towards the top of the door frame and plucked something from up there. Turning around the human faced Amity with a smile. 

"No worries though! I've still got our spare key. Plus this will give us some time to change and get our stories straight. We should probably find you something to cover those ears too. I can only imagine the heart attack my mom will have at the sight of them…"

Amity simply stared as Luz turned back around to the door and unlocked it. Opening the door wide she faced the witch with a large smile.

"Amity Blight, welcome to the Noceda's! Your new home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work burnout, depression and a crazy hectic schedule kept me from writing for a whole week. And it was miserable. I am so sorry this took so long guys! Honestly, I could've spent a whole month rewriting this chapter and still not feel so good about it. But I'm going to ignore the mixed feelings I have about how well this turned out just so we can finally move along in the story and get to the real good parts I have planned.
> 
> Notes are written up for the next chapter so hopefully, given that I stop being scheduled for morning shifts that leave me staying _an hour or so after we close each night_ , I will get it done quickly. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading as always!


	7. Reflection

Luz's house was.…quaint. 

That was the only word Amity could find for it. Much smaller then the manor she was used to, stuff was crammed in just about every space available. From the knickknacks laid out on the furniture to the pictures covering just about every open space there was on the wall, Luz's house felt full.

Amity didn't know a house was supposed to feel this full. She remembered with a cold shiver the empty expanse of hallways and open rooms the manor was filled with. 

Luz herself seemed to grow into a completely different person from the moment she stepped inside. The human girl practically bloomed with happiness as her body glided through the steps she had probably taken a million times. Through the front door and the entry way, up the few steps into the living room, still decorated with just about every human trinket under the sun. There was too much to process, too much to look at. Amity had to force herself to keep going as Luz spun around, drinking it all in. 

"Ahhhh! Just how I remember it! The smell is still even here!" She laughed, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. 

Amity felt heat rise to her cheeks as she watched Luz feel so at home in this strange place. Just watching her brought a sort of calmness that the witch couldn't describe. A smile crept it's way to her lips as Luz's eyes opened and twinkled in the soft light leaking through the sheer curtains hanging over the window. 

"Well," The human started, suddenly becoming a little sheepish as her hand raised to the back of her head, "what do you think so far? Keeping in mind that you still haven't seen the best part of the house: my room."

Amity blinked. She looked around her once again, choosing to focus on the pictures on the wall. Each one featured the same two people over and over. It was clear who Luz was, the bandages lining her legs and lanky figure immediately recognizable to the green-haired girl. The other figure in the photos was a mystery however. She had the same dark skin tone as Luz with a short physique and bags under her eyes. It didn't take much to figure out that that woman was Luz's mother. 

There was a common theme throughout each and every picture and that was the smile those two shared.

Amity felt a sharp stabbing in her heart as a warmth slowly filled her body. She ignored the pain in her heart as she chose to concentrate on the happy feeling she felt at seeing Luz so joyful.

"You two look so happy." She commented after a short pause, nodding to the pictures on the wall. 

Luz turned slowly to look at the same wall Amity was. 

"Yeah… we were. We are." Luz agreed quietly.

An understanding silence filled the room as the two girls stared transfixed on the memories. A low rumble interrupted the moment as Amity looked down at her stomach in a panic. Luz whipped around and grinned.

"I guess it has been awhile since we both have eaten hasn’t it?" She laughed as her own stomach seemed to growl in response.

Amity was immediately filled with a small amount of panic as Luz grabbed her hand and led her through a small arch and into the kitchen. It was much smaller then the kitchens at Blight Manor. It kept the same exact feel as the rest of the house, if not just a little less cluttered. Luz led her to a small round table tucked away in the corner of the room. As Amity took a seat the human swept past her and into the cabinets.

"Ok, well, I may not be a professional chef or anything, but I do know how to make a killer mac and cheese." Her voice echoed out of a cabinet as she stuck her head fully inside. 

Luz emerged shortly after with a decent sized pot and plopped it on the stove. Amity watched in amazement as Luz simply turned a dial on the front of the stove and a small flame appeared underneath the grate. She blinked as the flame appeared, not quite believing that it wasn't summoned. Luz seemed to be completely oblivious to the witch's wonder as she poked her face into several more cabinets. Each one she left slightly ajar as she grabbed what she needed out of it. Setting down a bright blue box, a jug of milk and a yellowish tub Luz finally faced her with a smile.

"And don't worry if you're a picky eater, mac and cheese is about the safest human food option out there. You'll love it!" She grinned before turning back to the stove. 

The human grabbed the pot and reached up into a nearby cabinet to snatch a glass as well. Using her elbow, Luz flicked on the sink that sputtered out water and filled the pot slowly. In a fluid motion she set the pot back onto the flame and started filling up the cup. She turned off the water with her free hand and walked over to where Amity was sitting and slid into the seat opposite of her. 

"Here. You should probably drink some water." Luz told her kindly as she slid the cup over to Amity, the liquid inside surprisingly not spilling everywhere.

Amity was suddenly very aware of just how dry her throat was. She took the cup gratefully and took a small sip, ignoring the pain in her jaw as the liquid slipped past her lips and down her throat. The water seemed to make her far more aware of just how exhausted her body really was. Regardless, it felt plenty refreshing and soon she had downed the entire glass. Luz merely watched her with a smile, her head resting against her hand.

"Thanks." Amity said weakly, trying her best to return Luz's smile but her worries and exhaustion were rushing in. Her stomach growled again, causing Luz to laugh. 

"Don't worry about it." Luz waved. "I'll be taking care of that soon enough too." She giggled as her hand slipped out from under her chin to point at Amity's stomach. 

Amity blushed. Ignoring her embarrassment, she took the moment to study Luz's face. Her eyes were just slightly red and the bags under them seemed to have grown even more as the excitement she had shown earlier faded. Her shoulder's were relaxed as she lounged. It suddenly occurred to Amity that it had been a long time since Luz had any water, or food…

Or sleep.

She got up ubruptly and grabbed the empty glass in front of her. Walking past the stove Amity pulled the lever on the faucet and turned on the water, swiveling it to the right and holding her hand out into the stream while she waited for it to become cold. Filling the glass, she made her way back over to Luz who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Man, you really were thirsty weren't y-" 

THUD. 

Amity set the glass on the table right in front of Luz with a solid thump. 

"Drink. Now."

Luz's eyes widened before she bit her lip. 

"I guess it has been awhile since I've had some water." Luz laughed nervously, picking up the glass and staring at it. 

"At least as long as it has been for me. Not to mention I know you forget to take care of yourself when something's upsetting you."

Luz stared at the glass for a bit longer before she tore her eyes off the water and looked at Amity.

"You do?" She asked astounded.

Amity flushed red. Of course she had noticed. The witch was fascinated with the human in front of her, she had been for awhile. Of course she noticed how focused Luz became when she had a big test coming up, or if something was upsetting Willow. Or even if Gus had a big project that he was stuck on. The human seemed to take all of these stresses on herself and the signs became a pattern for Amity. First Luz's hair would become a little more untamed then it already was, then came the intense bouts of focus. Like how she would sit and chew on a pencil throughout lunch forgoing food and water. Or writing things all over her notes, planning out multiple scenarios during class. 

Amity shook her head, realizing how incredibly crazy she would sound if she listed all all of that to Luz. 

"Drink first." Amity commanded sternly, bringing herself back to the present. 

Luz smiled and stared the witch down as she brought the glass up in the air in a toast.

"Alright, whatever you say. Bottoms up!" Luz grinned at her as she began chugging the water. She finished it with a violent shake of her head as she brought an arm up to rub away what had spilled out of the corner of her mouth.

Amity felt herself relax and sank back into the chair she was in earlier.

"There. We are all hydrated up, we got food cooking. After that I'll take you upstairs and show you my room. I'm sure I have a few clothes you can fit into for the time being. Am I forgetting anything?" Luz pondered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she stared at a spot on the ceiling.

Amity looked up too. 

"Well you need to get some sleep. It's been almost 3 full days now Luz."

Luz froze, her smile slipping off her face as her shoulders slumped forward.

"Huh. I guess it has been awhile." She said quietly.

She blinked slowly and yawned as if her body just realized how tired it was. Quickly though the human grew frustrated and gently slapped the sides of her face.

"But I can't sleep. There's still so much to show you! And there's so much to talk about. Like what we're going to do when my mom gets home. Or how we can help everyone over there find us again. And Azura!"

"Or... what we're going to do now." Amity added softly. 

Luz nodded, her face twisting into a frown.

"Yeah. I don't want to go back to school again Ami… I don't do well there…"

Amity snickered softly. "With your studying habits? I can't imagine."

Luz looked pointedly down at the table. Amity's eyes widened as the girl didn't look back up. Reading her expression it was clear that the girl had meant something other then the studies. The kids from before came to mind. Amity took a deep breath.

"Luz?" Amity asked, reaching across the table to hold her hand out.

Luz looked up slowly, catching Amity eye's with her own. She gave a small smile and took Amity's hand and held it tightly. 

"I guess that's another thing we should talk about." Luz teased. "Just where exactly I'm going to take you on our first date."

Amity felt her face light on fire. Their first date…

That was something she had been daydreaming about for some time now. In those dreams they would go to the night market, spend some time at the grom tree before sneaking into the library and ending the day reading books to each other in Amity's secret hideout. Falling asleep leaning against each other as a candle burned down beside them…

"Wait. That's not fair!" Amity managed to choke out, shaking herself out of the dream.

Luz blinked innocently at her. 

"It's just that… why should you get to choose where we go?" Amity continued, desperate to provide a reason for her outburst.

The human laughed cheerfully as she squeezed Amity's hand tight.

"Because, Blight. I want to sweep you off your feet. Give you a night you'll never forget and all that romantic stuff." She grinned brightly as she pulled Amity's hand up to her lips. 

Before the witch could utter any other words, Luz kissed the back of her hand and stood up. 

"I'm going to check on the water." She grinned as she turned her back and headed to the stove.

Amity tried and failed to catch her breath as Luz left. Her hand still tingling where Luz had kissed it. 

***

Amity's mouth melted. 

This human food, this _mac and cheese_ , was the most incredible thing she had ever tasted. Her mouth felt happy. She didn't even know mouth's could feel emotion until she took her first bite. It wasn't just the incredible taste that filled her tastebuds that made her feel so happy though. Despite being in a strange environment, she felt safe. 

When Amity had first been pulled into the kitchen by Luz, she had felt a flicker of panic. Growing up in the Blight household she was expected to be sophisticated at everything and that included having a refined palate. Their status afforded them to have a lavish spread of food that was only available to a select few on the Boiling Isles and almost every night there was some new dish to try at the Blight Household.

The only problem? Amity was a picky eater. She always had been.

There were many nights in which her parents simply forbade her from leaving the table until every scrap of food on her plate had been finished. Instead of broadening her tastes, it instead left her with a sick overwhelming anxiety when it came to trying new foods.

Luz had seen right through her reluctance. Instead of forcing her to eat, the human simply grabbed an array of things Amity was used to on the Isles. She made a cup of hot chocolate and poured a large glass of water so Amity could wash down anything she didn't like. Instead of yelling at her for being weak over just a bite of food, Luz sat with her as she slowly picked at the yellow noodles in front of her and beamed when Amity finally had the confidence to take a bite.

It was an experience that Amity had never had before and it somehow made the delicious taste of this human food all that more special. 

They finished their meal quickly and Luz rushed them upstairs. 

Luz's room was a lot like the room she had at The Owl House. Shelves full of knicknacks, books, and treasures lined her walls and fought for space with the posters and drawings she had obviously hung herself. Her bed was unmade and full of mismatched pillows. Her 'comforter' was one giant fluffy blanket while her sheets had stars on them. It was warm and inviting and incredibly unorganized. 

Almost immediately after rushing Amity inside, Luz sat the witch onto her bed and dove into her closet. 

"Aghhhh! I can't believe I took my favorite outfit to a camp! What was I thinking?!" She moaned as she fell back against the pile of clothing that had stacked up on the floor. "Things always go missing at camp! Even if I didn't end up in another dimension chances are I would've lost it anyways!" The human groaned.

She tilted her head back to stare at Amity who smiled sympathetically at her. Her brown eyes widened as excitement sparked in them. Flipping over rapidly she grabbed a bundle of clothes off the floor and tossed them onto the bed beside her girlfriend.

"You should pick my new outfit!" She exclaimed excitedly as she dove back into the closet for more.

"What?!" Amity practically squeaked as she dodged more clothing that was thrown blindly towards her.

"Yeah! It will be fun! I'll pick yours too!" Luz's voice echoed from inside the closet. 

Amity thought on it. On one hand, she was terrified of whatever Luz might pick out for her, especially having seen Luz's grom outfit. While it had looked cute on her, there was no way anyone but Luz would've been able to pull off her… _interesting_ fashion choice. 

She looked to her side at the pile of clothing options next to her. On the other hand, she could put Luz in any outfit she chose.

"Ok." Amity's voice came out in an excited squeak. Quickly clearing her throat she tried again. "I mean, that sounds like as good of an idea as any." She faked with nonchalance. 

Luz poked her head out of the closet with an excited smirk. 

"Alright, Blight. Let's raise the stakes though. Designer of the best outfit gets to choose the place for our first date."

Amity's eyes widened, before mirroring Luz's smirk.

"Oh, you're on Noceda." The witch growled excitedly.

The rules were simple. One girl would wait outside the closed bedroom door while the other prepared their outfit that they would then hide under the blanket when they were finished. 

Luz went first, leaving Amity on the other side of the door to think about exactly what she was going to do. What she wanted Luz to look like. Panic entered her mind as she quickly realized she could think of nothing in particular that she wanted Luz to wear. She liked Luz exactly as she was, weird fashion included. 

A sentiment that was absolutely useless in a competition like this. 

A knock from behind jolted her out of her thoughts. Luz opened the door and gave a smile.

"Your turn."

Amity simply stared at her. It hadn't even really been a full 5 minutes.

"Really? That quick?" Amity questioned her, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. 

"Well… yeah. I just thought, what was the most 'Amity' thing I owned and went from there. Good luck beating it though. I know you're going to love it." Luz smirked as she slid past the witch with a taunting wiggle. 

Amity huffed and approached the door with determination. 

She could do this.

***

Luz had won. There was no way she wouldn't. As Amity pulled on the last piece of her outfit she knew that what she had picked out for the human couldn't measure up to how she felt right now. Looking in the mirror Amity glanced over her outfit one last time. Luz had picked out a pair of ripped, washed out, blue jeans for her and a black t-shirt. On the front of the t-shirt was a design of a red, elegant bird with a long neck and small pointed head. It's wings were outstretched to the side and it's feathers were long and flowing. The word "Rise" was written underneath it in fiery lettering. To top it all off, Luz gave her a grey and black flannel shirt to throw on like a jacket. Every part of the outfit fit well, from the baggy flannel to the well fitting, but not too tight jeans. Amity had to admit, she loved it. It was something she would've never picked out for herself, especially considering how strict her mother had been with her wardrobe and yet somehow Luz knew she would like it. 

Amity smiled at her reflection, and ran her hands through her mint hair that she had kept down since Luz had slipped it out of her band in the rain. 

She almost looked like a complete stranger, but she had never felt more like herself. Taking a deep breath, she turned away from herself and opened the door. Stepping out of the bathroom connected to Luz's room, Amity's breath caught in her throat as she looked at the outfit she had picked for Luz. 

Almost immediately she was grateful that she went with her first instinct to dress Luz in something the girl could feel comfortable in. Luz was wearing a pair of plain black sweatpants, topped with a pastel yellow and white striped tank top. It was simple, but the comfortable look suited Luz. The tank top fit her especially well, the yellow going well with her skin tone.

Not to mention it fit her form fairly well too. 

She was currently facing away from Amity and her amber eyes traced the girl's back and arms. Appreciating just how good they looked. Luz turned around slowly as she heard Amity exit the bathroom, her eyes widening as she caught the witch staring at her. Amity immediately became shy as Luz looked her outfit over, her hand moving to clutch onto her arm.

"Wow… you look…"

"Incredible." Amity finished for her. 

Luz blushed slightly and laughed. 

"Guess you really haven't seen me outside of my uniform and my classic hoodie, huh? You know, I've never really been a tank top gal, but I could get used to this! I don't look half bad! The sweatpants were also a great choice, I can fit soooo much confetti in these pockets." Luz smiled as she struck a pose.

Amity grinned, remembering her confidence from earlier and acting on it. She took a step forward and placed her hands on Luz's shoulders, causing the girl to blush even harder.

"I think all you're missing is my old grudgeby jacket." Amity said with a playful smirk. 

"Heh you can't mean that. You probably need that to stay warm and stuff." Luz's nervously denied as her blush deepened. Her eyes flitted away from Amity as they stared at the ground awkwardly.

Amity remembered her reflection she had just seen. The happiness in her eyes as she realized she felt like herself. Luz was the one who made her feel that way. She let it fill her body and she kept going.

"Nonsense. If I had it with me, I'd insist you wear it. After all… you are my girlfriend." 

Luz's eyes widened as they shot back to look into Amity's own, a smile crept it's way onto her burning face. Suddenly Amity felt her confidence slip away and she felt heat rise to her cheeks. 

She had just said it out loud. Called Luz her girlfriend. Out. Loud.

Oh titan. 

"You look good in my clothes Blight." Luz said after a pause, a confident grin slipping on to her face.

Amity's blush deepened. She let Luz's shoulders go and took a deep breath, stepping back to catch her breath. 

"Let's just call it a tie for now." Amity suggested as her heartrate settled.

"If you say so." Luz smiled softly, moving to sit on her bed. She pulled her legs into a cross-legged position as she faced Amity. She let out a large yawn as she rubbed her eyes. 

Amity's face softened as she watched Luz blink her eyes back open sleepily.

"Alright Noceda. Time for sleep." Amity said decisively, walking over and sitting on the bed next to Luz. 

"But! It's only like… 10 am! There's still so much to do. We've got to figure out what I'm going to say to my mom, and how we are going to get you to stay here and… and…" Luz was interrupted by another long yawn.

Amity didn't talk. She simply moved some of the clothes that were still on the bed over as she lightly pushed a finger into Luz's chest. The human went down without any fight, flopping down on her bed with a soft thump. 

"Amiiii." Luz protested weakly. 

"Nope. You are at least taking a nap. You can't even get through a full sentence without yawning." Amity ignored her as she crossed her arms and purposefully did not give Luz any attention. 

She heard a growl from behind her and suddenly the witch was pulled by her arm into the bed right next to Luz. One of her long arms wrapped her in an embrace as Amity turned her face to stare into Luz's warm brown eyes. Her face heated up almost immediately as Luz sleepily blinked at her with a smile on her face. 

"Fine. You win. But we were interrupted in our last nap. I want a re-do." She growled softly, nuzzling her face into Amity's shoulder.

Amity blinked, completely surprised and almost completely frozen. Her mind filled with panic as she realized she was laying in bed with Luz snuggled up against her. 

From the place her arm was pinned, the witch pinched herself. The sharp pain reminded her that she really was awake. That this wasn't just some amazing dream. As she tried to process that wonderful fact she heard a soft snoring come from her shoulder and looked down to see Luz fast asleep. 

The witch's arm practically moved by itself, her body shifting ever so slightly to hold Luz closer as she drifted further off into sleep. Amity buried her head into Luz's hair as she took a deep breath. Her eyes felt extremely heavy and she was suddenly aware of just how exhausted her body truly felt. She supposed it would ok if she simply closed her eyes for a little bit.

As Luz's peaceful snores filled her ears, Amity's arms gripped even tighter around the girl. Her girl. 

It wasn't long before her own snores joined Luz's in the quiet of the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo. This was a long one. It wasn't even supposed to be ANNND I didn't even get to the part I had wanted to get to with it. But dang I'm tired. So we ended it with our girls finally getting some sleep. Which I should be getting.
> 
> I have work in 4 hours.


	8. Burnt Pancakes

At some point during the evening, when the sun was just starting to set, Luz began to wake. Her body moved on it's own to stretch out but something was off. Right away she noticed she wasn't in her sleeping bag, but rather felt the soft cushion of a real bed. There was a warmth laying across her shoulders and a warmth right beside her too. Her eyes blinked open slowly only to be met with a curtain of mint hair. 

Her eyes closed once again in peace as she snuggled further into Amity's shoulder, reluctant to fully wake up yet. 

Wait. 

Her eyes shot open as her mind caught up. Amity. 

She was laying in bed with _Amity._

Blinking the remnants of sleep out of her eyes Luz stared at the sight in front of her. The witch's hair fell in a curtain down the side of her face and was bunched up around the pillow she had fallen asleep on. Her eyes were closed and she was snoring so lightly that Luz had to strain to hear it. Slowly untangling her hand from around Amity's arm, she reached forward and brushed aside some of the green-dyed hair to look at Amity's face. 

She looked so peaceful. 

As the grogginess of waking up wore off, the million worries and problems Luz knew they faced rushed back in. Despite her itch to begin solving them, she forced herself to stay still and enjoy this moment. 

Luz wasn't oblivious. At least not _that_ oblivious. She knew it would take Amity a long time to begin to really feel comfortable in their relationship. Seeing how incredibly panicked the witch got just admitting to Luz being her girlfriend told her it was going to be an adjustment.

That was ok though. Luz gently reached forward and cupped Amity's face again. 

Amity had spent years hiding her emotions for the sake of her family name. If she could just be happy with herself, that would be all Luz could possibly ask for. The non-tensed up, fully awake cuddling could come later. It would come later, because the way Luz felt right now was incredible. She felt safe, and warm and happy. 

Luz felt a smile brighten her face the longer she stared at Amity's peaceful look. It made all of her worries nearly disappear. Amity was safe here, Luz would make sure of it. That was all that truly mattered right now. 

A light hiccup in the witch's snoring was accompanied by Amity shifting slightly and holding Luz closer to her chest. Luz's face burned as she froze, suddenly very aware of just how close they were. 

Well... maybe it would be more then just Amity adjusting to this. 

Eventually the itching in Luz's legs to move became too much and she wiggled her way gently out of the tangle of limbs. Sitting up on the bed behind Amity she watched the witch's face fall as the warmth she was holding onto left. 

Moving quickly and quietly, Luz grabbed the blanket at the foot of her bed and gently tucked Amity into it. She smiled softly as Amity's face relaxed once more. 

Slipping out of the bedroom she checked her mom's room first, making sure Camilla hadn't slipped in while they were both napping. To both Luz's disappointment and relief, the room was empty. It looked like her mom was still at work. 

She turned to leave but something in the corner of her eye stopped her. Walking over to her mom's bedside table she saw a picture of the two of them together. Camilla's arm was wrapped around her daughter, Luz gripping her tightly by the waist. She felt her thumb rub gently across the glass encasing the photo as the hand holding it began to shake.

It was the same exact picture Luz took to the Boiling Isles with her, the one she would look at when she got homesick.

Suddenly her throat constricted as she realized just how desperately she had missed her mom. She gently set down the picture of their small, happy family as she flopped back into her mother's bed. She remembered the night she had snuck behind her mother's back and watched a horror movie on her phone while she was away at work. Luz was old enough now to know that even demonically possessed little kids were still just little kids. A good shove and they become a significantly less of a threat. That didn't change how terrified she had been that very night. In response to the newfound fear she had, Luz tucked herself away in the closet, a flashlight and blanket the only defense she had against every creak and groan the house made. When Camilla finally did come home that night, even though she had pulled a double shift and had to have been up for easily over 24 hours, she made sure to search every room for her daughter. When the older woman finally did find her, it took another full hour to convince Luz to tell her what was wrong. 

Luz's eyes watered. She remembered how her mother wasn't mad but rather took her gently by the hand and suggested they stay up and watch those cartoons Luz liked in her room. The girl choked back a sob as she laughed, Camilla had never understood anime. That night, although she was exhausted and overworked, her mom stayed up and tried her best. Tried her best to comfort her daugher. To talk with her about the complex storyline and finer hints of foreshadowing and character development. Luz ended up falling asleep in her mother's arms that night. Curled up in this very bed. 

It was the best night of sleep she's ever had. 

More tears slipped out of her eyes as Luz felt hollow. It must've been exhaustion that was causing the doubts to come rushing it. It was the only explanation she had, so it must be the reason behind why Luz's mind was drifting back to the things Red and his gang had said. 

" _Come on, not even your own mother could stand you for another summer!_ "

...

Right.

Just exhaustion.

...

Luz carefully peeled herself off of the bed as her hand graced the picture on the table one final time. She didn't turn back as she left.

Deciding she needed to keep moving to stop her mind from wandering too much, Luz checked up on Amity before heading downstairs. Looking around the house, Luz once again took note of how nothing had changed. She let herself meander into the kitchen, glancing at the time on the microwave. 

7:45.

Luz briefly wondered if her mom had been picking up extra shifts lately before she turned to the cabinets. Grabbing a few ingredients, Luz got ready to cook. She may not have been hungry, but she knew her mom often forgot to eat when she was working late. Luz made sure she always left food out for her when she did eventually come home.

As she went through the same motions she had done hundreds of times, Luz let her mind wander. There were so many things she needed to address. 

The biggest one was of course the absolutely everything that had happened the last few months. Luz could only imagine how the conversation would go.

"Hi mom! You know that camp you sent me to? Well I didn't go. Instead I've been living with a demon and a criminal for the last few months while studying witchcraft in a completely magical dimension! Oh and I also picked a fight with a very powerful ruler and it went really bad. Also, this is Amity. A witch I basically kidnapped. She's also my girlfriend as of literally a couple of hours ago and needs to stay here because we don't have a way to get back to the other dimension!" She explained aloud mockingly.

Luz shook her head. Oh titan. She sounded insane. A rumbling from behind her had the human gripping tightly to a frying pan, ready to swing it as she whipped around to face the noise. Her mind swirled with the possibility of her mom sneaking in and overhearing all of that.

To her relief there was nothing. 

A car outside the window slowly rolled by, and Luz knew it was just her nerves getting the better of her. It had been awhile since she heard the sound of an engine after all. 

The stress of keeping a secret this large from her mother was already getting to her. How was she ever going to pull it off for a couple of days... maybe even weeks?

Luz took a deep breath. She set the frying pan back on the stove. Knowing it could possibly be morning when Camilla did come back, Luz thought it was safe to go ahead and make some pancakes. Not only was she sure her mom would eat them, but it was also something safe and plain for Amity to try as well. It was also something the girl had a fairly good track record of not burning too.

As she mixed the batter and watched it sizzle on the pan, her mind drifted. If she couldn't tell her mother the truth, what could she say? How was she going to explain why she was home early? When Camilla inevitably asked how camp was or if her daughter made any friends how could she explain why her mother couldn't meet them. Or why she couldn't show her what Luz had learned? She tried imagining Eda sitting down and going over taxes with her and the thought made her laugh. Her heart twisted painfully as she thought of her mentor. 

Of course then there was Amity. Luz let her eyes drift to the stairs. Trying to explain Amity almost felt like trying to explain why Luz should get to keep a stray animal she found off the street. The girl had no where else to go. She couldn't go home even if she wanted to, and Luz knew that she wouldn't let Amity ever go back to her parents. 

The Blights. The memory of Odalia's cold glare sent a shiver down her spine.

Her eyes began to burn as a jolt of fear shot through her. It felt all too familar and panic gripped her heart. It was only after she had calmed down and convinced herself she was far away from Belos's clutches that she realizes the burning was caused from the smoke rising out of the pan. Flipping the round cake over quickly, Luz grimaced at the dark, blackened side. 

The longer she stared at it the more hopeful she grew as an idea occurred to her. The cold fear she felt just a moment ago gave way to a tiny spark of hope. The best way to get her mother to accept Amity was to tell her the truth. 

Just maybe not the full truth. 

Luz flipped the burnt pancake behind her. Despite missing the trashcan completely she smiled as she walked over to throw it away for real.

Camilla had sent her away because she was worried about Luz not having any friends. 

Now, Luz was coming home with a girlfriend. One that she was hopefully giving a much a healthier place to live.

***

It was dark. Even before Amity opened her eyes, she knew it must've been late. A surge of panic rushed through her body, how could she allow herself to sleep this late? Her parents would be beyond enraged with her for wasting an entire day away.

Something shifted at her side. Daring to peek one eye open, the witch could barely make out the prone form of Luz flopped over on her back, one arm laying across her chest. Amity felt a small squeeze on her hand as Luz got more comfortable in her sleep. That's when Amity realized where human's other arm was. 

It was wrapped tightly around Amity's own, their hands intertwined together.

Her amber eyes quickly shut closed in a panic. Amity tried to steady her breathing. She was laying in bed with Luz. How long had they been curled up together?! Was Luz even aware? How did she get here in the first place?

And was was the burnt smell?

The panic sent Amity bolting upright as Luz's hand weakly let go of her own. There was a groan from beside her. Opening her eyes once again Amity looked in the direction of the noise. Luz was shifting again, this time onto her side, her hands reaching out beside her.

"Amity…" Luz groaned sleepily. 

The witch's face lit on fire. 

"Come back to sleep with me…"

Amity froze. Her eyes flicked quickly around her as she remembered everything that had happened in the last couple of hours. The heist, the portal. Luz pulling her through as she struggled to keep the lightning flowing through her body. The rain around them as she asked the witch to be her girlfriend. 

_Oh titan._

Taking a few more breaths the panic began to subside. She was in Luz's room. In Luz's house. While trying to get the girl to take a nap, Luz had pulled her into bed and fell asleep. Amity must've fallen asleep shortly after. The recap brought the buzzing in her mind to a calm. She knew where she was at, and what was going on. Her mind flipped to the question that was just asked. Turning to Luz, she took note of the light snoring that the girl had slipped back into.

Amity took the opportunity to really stare at Luz. They were both in a different position then what they had originally fallen asleep in. Now Luz was on the outside of the bed, while Amity was nearest to the wall, facing into the bedroom. The dark circles under the human's eyes had eased a little but they were still very much present. Looking a little closer, Amity could see just a slight redness around them. 

Luz had been crying. 

Amity's mind filled in the gaps. Sometime during the day, Luz must've woken up. The human had always had a way of hiding her true feeling's behind a mask of confidence and hope but Amity knew better. The last few days had taught her as much. 

Amity couldn't hope to understand what Luz was going through, but they were in this together now. Luz needed her. She needed her to not be afraid. To not be panicked. 

A snore at her side seemed to agree with her thoughts. 

Amity was grateful that Luz was asleep. As much as she knew she shouldn't be, Amity knew it would take her awhile to really feel comfortable around Luz. It made guilt twist in her stomach, but it was a fact that had to be faced. There was a difference between the distant yearning of a crush and the reality of having that crush become a relationship.

Right now though, Luz was asleep. She could do this small thing for the girl who had given her so much already.

Taking one final deep breath, Amity settled back down into the bed, laying side by side with Luz. 

"I'm right here." She whispered reassuringly as she wrapped an arm around Luz's shoulder, holding her close. 

Luz seemed to respond right away to her touch, curling in close and burying her head into Amity's chest. She flipped her head up to face the ceiling, a small smile on her face. 

Amity didn't know how long she stayed awake, watching Luz sleep but eventually she heard a rumbling noise outside as lights passed by the window. Immediately, the witch became on guard. Her ears flattened to her head and she tucked Luz closer to herself on instinct. The door to the house opened and closed as Amity realized just how dire her situation had become. 

Camilla was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh boy, return of the shorter chapter. I uh... jeez I don't know if it's because I haven't hit my stride yet or if I'm just _that_ tired, but this chapter was a struggle to write. I hope it doesn't come across too much in this one. Half of it was written at work on my phone too...
> 
> Annnnyways, I guess now is as good of a time as any to warn you all that I WILL NOT BE ADDRESSING THE LETTERS. I have a lot of theories and stuff for The Owl House about the questions we all have, some of which will be addressed in this very fic (ooooh exciting~) but dang I don't even want to go anywhere near those plot bombs. I debated it for awhile thinking maybe I could work it into the story somehow, but there's just no way. Y'all can have fun speculating them to death but those things... as ehhhh writer myself, _they scare me._
> 
> But yeah. It's ya girl, back at it again with the cliffhangers! See y'all next chapter! Dun dun dun!!


	9. What a Mother Knows

Amity froze. She heard the door open and close and then silence. What was she going to do? Should she wake Luz? Should she hide?

In the deathly quiet of the house she heard a loud and tired sigh and the fear in Amity’s mind cleared for just a moment. She recognized a sigh like that, she could practically feel the exhaustion leaking from it. 

The panic was back almost immediately however as footsteps began to creep slowly up the stairs.

Thinking quickly, Amity glanced around her. There was no time to hide, and waking Luz up now might lead to a slip up in whatever plan they may or may not have. Her ears twitched to the sound coming closer and Amity had never been more aware of them in her life. That was one thing she was definetly not willing to explain right now, and one thing Luz probably wasn't ready to explain either. Thinking quickly, she spotted her solution in the pile of clothes still laying on the bed. Grabbing at the red fabric, Amity pulled a large and baggy beanie over her ears and laid stiffly back down next to Luz. 

The footsteps continued to climb closer and closer before they stopped right outside the room.

Amity couldn’t remember if the door had been open or closed when they first came in. Luz had given her a quick and cheerful tour and the witch knew her mother’s room was right across the hallway. Perhaps she was just pausing before going in.

At least, that was what she hoped for before she heard the sharp intake of breath from somewhere in the darkness.

They were found. 

Amity closed her eyes as much as she dared, trying desperately to control her breathing. The last thing she wanted was to be caught awake but she couldn't bring herself to face this situation completely blind. A quiet shuffle later and Amity saw a figure form in the shadow of the doorway. At first Amity didn’t know what to make of it. She knew she should be scared, she could feel how tense she was, how her hands bunched up Luz’s shirt as she held onto the human tightly, but she wasn’t afraid. Seeing the silhouette of the woman who had to be Luz’s mother, she felt a strange sense of calm. As her eyes adjusted the woman stepped forward. Her skin was the same color as Luz’s, her eyes, though tired, were soft and brown. The relation between the two was clear, even clearer then the pictures hanging all around the house. 

Amity stared in wonder as Camila Noceda’s hand flew to her mouth, the woman suddenly overcome with emotion. The moonlight caught and reflected a single tear that formed in her eye and slipped to the floor. 

The woman hesitantly took another step forward. 

“Luz… carino…” She whispered into the quiet of the room. The way she spoke was tinged in softness, warmth and… love.

Amity’s heart twisted hearing the emotion in the woman’s voice. Her chest thudded with both jealously and empathy. On one hand it was clear that this woman had dearly missed her daughter, despite the terms on which they parted. It made her inexplicably happy to know that Luz had someone who cared for her like that.

On the other hand however…

The way this woman seemed to cave with the love and emotion she felt for her daughter... this was something Amity knew she could never have. 

The woman continued her advance as Amity unconsciously clutched tighter to Luz. Camila seemed to pause as she noticed the movement and her eyes finally tore away from her daughter to stare at the girl laying next to her. Amity felt more then saw those piercing brown eyes analyze her. The witch couldn’t move under her gaze, not that she particularly wanted to either.

Eventually the laser focus eased as Camila sighed. It wasn’t the same exhausted sigh she had heard earlier. This was something lighter, almost… happy. Camila finally closed the distance between the door and the bed and gently set a hand on Luz’s shoulder. To Amity’s horror, Luz reacted right away, her head turning to lay against her mother’s arm, leaving Amity completely exposed. 

Camilla tsked lightly. 

“Oh mija, what are we going to do with you?” She said with a smile evident on her face and in her voice. Her hand cupped Luz's face as she leaned forward to kiss her daughter's forehead.

Standing up straighter, the woman let her eyes drift over to Amity once more. There was another light sigh before the witch felt something move at her feet. She gently felt a blanket being lifted slowly up and over the both of them as Camilla tucked them into bed. In the warmth, Luz twisted back into Amity's chest and the witch heard the older woman chuckle lightly.

" _Buenas noches querida, hablaremos a mañana_." Camilla whispered quietly before turning to leave. The sound of the door gently closing behind her finally allowed Amity to breathe again. 

Whatever that was, it seemed to go well. Or at least Amity hoped. Her muscles were sore from how tense she had been and the witch wished she could get up and stretch. It was only as she heard Camilla retire to the room next to them that she realized she really should've woken Luz up. After all, Camila started it all. _She_ was the reason Luz destroyed the portal. _She_ was the reason they planned a heist to get it back. 

She was also Luz's mother. The one who inspired Luz's greatest fear at Grom. The one who sent her away to a camp for a whole summer. Amity thought back to the night that Luz fell from the tree in the forest. She remembered the human's quiet voice as she told her how she needed to be 'fixed'. 

Amity swallowed. Maybe for tonight it was better that Luz get all the sleep she could. 

The witch heard shuffling in the next room as the sound of running water filled the house. It was strange, being able to hear everything that was going on even in an entire room away. Amity was so accustomed to the quiet of Blight Manor that it was a shock to be able to follow a person through each floor and room of the house. To know almost exactly what they were doing. It had always been a guess at what could be happening behind the doors of the manor. What could be lurking and waiting for her behind every corner. 

Amity blinked in the darkness, her body relaxing even further as she realized just how much fun the twins would have if they had access to house in which everyone could hear their pranks. 

As the water continued to run in the room next door, Amity felt the guilt begin to bubble up once again in her chest. The twins. Feeling the warmth of being safely tucked into a blanket while having Luz sleeping so peacefully next to her suddenly felt wrong. She shouldn't be here. She didn't deserve to be here while her siblings were still stuck with the nightmare that they had left behind. 

As if picking up on her feelings, Luz scooted closer as she hummed softly in her sleep. 

Amity felt her eyelids begin to grow heavy as she struggled to keep them open. Eventually, losing the battle, she heard the water shut off in the next room as the house fell quiet once more. Her eyes closed as Amity gave into the sleep that rushed over her.

It rapidly overtook the witch, her body still feeling cold despite the blanket wrapped around her and the warmth of girl beside her.

***

Luz woke to soft sunlight pouring through the window. Her eyes opened to see Amity's face inches from her own. Instead of panic however, Luz only felt warmth.

The girl laying in front of her had her mouth hanging open slightly, a long strand of green hair moving gently in front of her face as she snored lightly. The rest of her hair was tucked back into a familiar red beanie that she had pulled over her ears.

_Wow_

Luz remembered buying that beanie only a couple of months ago. She had gotten it to look more adult, to seem more grown up, part of her hoping it might spark some conversation with her classmates. After a few days of pointed and continued isolation though, Luz had retired it to her closet. Now she was grateful for having held onto it. Her curiosity grew as she stared, why was Amity wearing it? Did she get cold in the middle of the night? Had she woken up and Luz didn't notice? Blinking, the human realized with some sadness that while the beanie looked extremely good on Amity, it covered up one of Luz's favorite things about the witch. 

Her hand reached forward to gently cup Amity's face, her fingers snaking under the red fabric to gently hold the back of her long pointed ears. Her thumb rested against the girl's cheek right by her jaw.

Amity reacted almost immediately, her head leaning into Luz's gentle touch, almost like a cat who was starved for attention. The human didn't seem to notice however as she was caught up in her own mind. Seeing Amity's ears covered gave her a mix of emotions, none of them good. On one hand, it was for the best that they remain covered, she couldn't imagine explaining the long and expressive ears to her mom, much less the rest of her town. On the other... it felt like the beginning of something more. Covering up the witch's ears was the beginning of covering up the weeks she spent on the Boiling Isles. Covering up, hiding... lying.

Her thumb began to gently stroke Amity's face and it was warm and comforting against her hand. Amity slowly shifted, her hand becoming unburied as it reached up to cup Luz's, her forehead leaning ever so slightly forward until it touched with Luz's own. 

With a sharp inhale, Luz finally realized what had happened. The position she had got herself into while her mind wandered. She froze, holding her breath and hand where it was, hoping that Amity would lull back to sleep.

Instead, her eyes slowly fluttered open.

Amber orbs locked with her own before they widened in alarm. Luz reacted the only way she knew how.

"Um… hi." She squeaked out awkwardly.

Amity's hand squeezed tightly as she lurched backwards away from Luz's face. Their hands fell into the space between them as the witch bolted upright into a sitting position. Amity was breathing heavily, trying and failing to catch her breath. Her eyes were wide, staring blankly ahead at the blanket in front of her.

"I'm sorry!!" Luz exclaimed in a rush, sitting up and scooting to the edge of the bed, trying to give Amity her space. "I was still half asleep and you just looked so cute, and I missed your ears. I must've wanted to remind myself that they were there and one thing led to another and you snuggled into my hand and-"

Her explanation was cut short as Amity placed a shaky hand onto Luz's thigh. She pulled it back just a bit before taking a deep breath and setting it back down.

"It's ok." She spluttered out after a short pause, her voice a pitch higher then it usually was. The witch continued to stare intensely at the blanket as silence rushed back in. Luz began to feel guilt twist in her stomach. 

Amity took another deep breath and Luz found herself matching it in an attempt to relax.

"I really didn't mean to. I know it makes you all… you know, like this. And I don't want to push you or make your feel uncomfortable. I'm sorry… I probably crossed some sort of line there."

Amity sighed and ran her free hand gently through her hair. The hand laying on Luz's leg gave a small squeeze as the witch turned to face her. Her chest was rising and falling more steadily now.

"It's ok. Really." Amity explained gently. "You're a very touchy person. I understand that. It's something I've always admired about you."

Luz felt herself sit up a little straighter. She tilted her head as a smile began to warm her face. The guilt that was creeping in slowly slipped away as she grinned at Amity. The witch blushed bright red before she looked quickly away, her face scrunched up in panic. Amity took another deep breath and her shoulders relaxed. When she spoke again it was quiet, so quiet Luz had to strain to hear it. 

"Besides… it's not like… I uh… I didn't _hate_ it." 

The grin grew as Luz let her body collapse into the tense girl beside her. Amity jerked forward under the weight before she caught herself. Her arms automatically moved to wrap themselves around Luz as the human wiggled her way into laying against Amity's chest. 

Amity flushed a deep shade of crimson as her eyes locked with Luz's who stared back up at her with a dopey grin. 

"Oooooh, you're going to regret saying that. I'm a cuddle _monster_." Luz teased. 

"Yeah. Right." Amity managed to choke out past her blush. She took a couple of breaths as her blush faded. Rolling her eyes she shoved Luz playfully off of her. "You're a real monster alright."

Luz rolled dramatically onto her stomach before sliding off the bed entirely, coming up quickly to kneel against the bed. Her arms crossed under her chin as she stared at her girlfriend. Amity was attempting to adjust her flannel shirt and beanie, trying to regain a look of dignity, even as the blanket and pillow around her lay askew. 

"You look good in my clothes." Luz commented after awhile.

Amity choked as Luz snickered beside her. Standing up, Luz dusted herself off, smoothing out her shirt in the process. Tomorrow she would have to dig out some pj's for the both of them. She had forgotten how uncomfortable it was to sleep in real clothes.

"I'm going downstairs to get some water. I'll be right back!" Luz promised as Amity was still trying to recover. Dashing out the door, the human couldn't have seen the panic that raced in Amity's eyes or the way the witch desperately crawled off the bed after her. 

After all, Luz still didn't know that her mother was home.

***

Luz sleepily wiped her eyes as she slid into the kitchen. Letting out a huge yawn she stretched out her arms in front of her, walking slowly towards the cabinet to get a glass. As she did, she heard a snicker from behind her. Turning she waved at her mother who was sitting at the table eating the pancakes Luz had prepared the night before.

"Morning mami." Luz yawned, opening the cabinet and reaching for a small glass.

"Morning Luz." Camila responded cheerfully.

...

Luz dropped the glass. It bounced off the counter with a loud clatter as she slammed the cabinet shut to take a look at the woman sitting at the table. 

Camila was fighting back a grin as she raised her eyebrow. 

"Everything alright dear?"

Luz didn't respond. Her mind froze at the sight of her mother sitting at the table. In front of her. As real as the counter she was gripping to tightly. Her throat constricted as Camila's eyes turned worried.

"Luz?" She asked softly. 

Luz felt her eyes begin to water. It wasn't even a couple of days ago now that she thought there was a chance she would never see her mother again. Now she was right here… and Luz couldn't move or say anything.

"Are you ok-" 

Camila's words were cut short as Luz finally unlocked her legs and lurched forward. Her body was already in motion before she had a second longer to think. Camila barely had time to stand up before she welcomed her daughter into her arms as Luz tackled her mother in a tight hug.

They stood that way for awhile neither parent nor child giving an inch, squeezing each other tight as if it could make up for the time lost between them. The love conveyed through the gesture was obvious to both of them and words weren't needed. Luz buried her face into her mother's chest, a million worries melting away into her arms. She felt a few tears slip out past her closed eyes as her mom began to rub her back gently.

"There there, _te tengo, estoy aqui._ " Her mother whispered quietly as Luz wrapped her tighter. 

Eventually, as Luz's arms began to ache and her legs felt shaky, she let her mother go. Taking a step back and swiping at her eyes she stared once again at Camila. Her mother looked down at her with worry.

"Mija, camp wasn't all that bad was it?"

Luz's throat felt tight once again. There was so much she wanted to tell her…

"No! No. It was fine. I had a lot of fun. I just… I missed you." Luz admitted quietly.

Her mother's soft brown eyes seemed to light up at this, a smile growing on her face.

"I missed you too but I'm glad you had fun." She told her gently, sitting down at the table once more. "Thank you for the pancakes though. I missed coming home to your cooking. You'll have to teach me your recipe!" Camila teased, waving a fork at Luz playfully. 

"Mami." Luz groaned with an eyeroll. "You know the recipe, it's literally just batter and water. It's nothing special."

"Then it must be the love you put into it, because your pancakes are the best I've ever had." Camilla laughed, closing her eyes.

Luz shifted awkwardly by the table. She didn't know what to say, or where to even begin. There was so much to say, so much to explain. Her mother chewed thoughtfully on her breakfast as they sat in the silence.

"When did you get home?" They both asked after a pause, speaking at the same time. 

Luz froze as her mom laughed again. A question like that was bound to be followed up with, 'Why are you home early?', 'Where is all of your stuff?' or worst of all, 'What all did you learn at camp?!'

"I'll go first since you still seem to be waking up carino. I got home pretty late last night. I had to pull a double shift, Dr. Jasper needed me to stay late again. But the good news is I don't have to go in till much later today! So that gives us plenty of time to catch up!"

"Oh." 

Luz tried processing what her mother had said. Late last night?! Did that mean, did she stop by and check in Luz's room? And if she did, did she see Amity?

Camila looked down at her phone as she browsed it casually. 

"So when did you get home my dear?" 

"Oh um, I got back early yesterday, but I was pretty tired, I just ended up napping most of the day after I realized you were at work." Luz admitted truthfully, tiptoeing around any topic that may give away why or how she got back.

"Hmm." Camila responded simply.

"Hey um, mom, I'm just going to run upstairs real quick, for a um… a jacket. Yeah! A jacket. It's kinda chilly down here. Then we can catch up, ok?" Luz rushed out quickly, remembering that Amity was still upstairs waiting for her to come back. The last thing she needed to explain was why a random girl was stumbling down the stairs. Much less one with pointy ears and fangs.

"That's fine dear." Camila hummed as Luz turned to dash back up the stairs.

"Oh and Luz?"

"Yeah?" Luz froze on the bottom step, leaning back to face her mother who was still looking down at her phone. 

"While you're up there, let your girlfriend know I saved some pancakes, in case she's hungry." 

Luz fell off the step as a crash from upstairs indicated that someone else had overheard the same thing. Getting her bearings quickly, Luz scrambled to her feet, her face burning red as Camila laughed heartedly. 

"What?! How did you, how do you know she's my girlfriend?!" Luz spat out in a rush, feeling her face grow even redder as her mother grinned at her.

"Please mija, I came home and you two were snuggled up so tightly in your bed I didn't even see her right away. Give me _some_ credit. I am your mother after all." Camila smirked as Luz buried her face in her hands. 

"I can explain, I swear-" 

Camila shushed her gently as she put a finger to her mouth. 

"Perhaps you should grab her and bring her down here to join us first. I would like to meet the girl who managed to steal my little girl's heart. After all I have been fairly patient." 

Upstairs Luz heard Amity choke. Was it possible to combust from embarrassment? Luz couldn't imagine that her face could burn any brighter then it already was. She was only able to stiffly nod at her mom before she turned and hurried up the stairs. Amity was leaning out the doorway of her room, her face and ears bright red. She looked as horrified as Luz felt. 

The human gulped. 

"Well… my mom knows you're here." Luz admitted quietly, unable to meet her girlfriend's eyes. 

"I noticed." Amity said stiffly, her awkwardness practically feeding into Luz's own. 

"She wants you to come down and join us…"

"I heard." Amity squeaked as a response. Luz looked up to see the witch was staring at the floor rather intently, biting her lip.

"Amity?"

The witch sighed. Taking a deep breath, she adjusted the beanie she was still wearing and looked up at Luz with concerned eyes. 

"Do you know what you're going to say?" Amity asked her quietly, stepping out of the safety of the doorway and out into the hallway. Luz offered her a hand and Amity took it with a small smile. Together they faced towards the stairs where Camila was waiting.

"Kinda. Maybe. We'll see." Luz admitted fearfully. "We've just got to get her to let you stay here for a little while." 

"Right."

The quiet of the house rushed back in as Luz felt guilt twist in her stomach. She did have a plan, one that she was sure would work, but she needed to know if Amity would be ok with it first.

"Will you be ok if I mention your parents?" Luz asked her quietly, giving the witch's hand a gently squeeze.

Despite the gesture she felt Amity tense beside her. Luz wished, not for the first time, that she could take away all of the pain Amity had been through. Right now, they needed to use it. 

"You know I can always stay in the cabin. I like the woods! Plus it doesn't seem like it's _that_ dusty…"

"Amity, no."

The witch sighed heavily. "It's ok Luz. Whatever you have to say, I'll be fine. I trust you." 

Downstairs they heard Camila shift. A fork clattered against a plate and the sound made both of the girls jump.

"Are you ready?" Amity's voice came softly from beside her.

Luz gulped, her heart racing as she looked down the stairs.

"Nope." She answered honestly.

"Me neither." Amity agreed.

With all that there was to say said, together they walked hand and hand down the stairs, ready to face Mama Noceda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You. Guys. Have. No. Idea. How. Nervous. Camila. Makes. Me.
> 
> Oh my titan I hope I did her justice, I hope I did your guy's expectations justice. To tell you the truth I have dreaded writing Camila for months now. Dreaded writing this entire scene actually, knowing how big it is to introduce a character with this much build up. It took a couple of rewatches of the _only scene we actually really see and hear her in_ and just had to go with whatever came out of it. Anyways, we aren't anywhere close to being done with this lovely woman yet.
> 
> Next chapter is one I'm really really looking forward to. It just might not be the one you all expect. So I'll catch y'all next time.
> 
> P.S If you want quality Amity Beanie time, go check out Locked Out. It's really really good. I wanted to try and stay away from the beanie for that reason alone, but Beta Luz's beanie has always called to me, and it matched the red phoenix on Amity's shirt and everything. Honestly it was either that or a baseball cap... and I'm not putting Amity in a baseball cap. Not yet at least. xD


	10. Wanted Gossip

"Morning Sprout, I didn't think you'd be up for another couple of hours!" 

Willow wiped her eyes as she made her way into the kitchen. It was clear by how loud Kevin was that he was plenty energized despite the late night. The young witch hadn't much luck sleeping herself. Her body woke to every slight noise and took longer and longer to lull back to sleep each time. It wasn't long after her dads started moving around in the house that Willow gave up her attempts at sleep and decided to join them in the kitchen.

She stumbled into the bright and airy room and pulled out a chair, sitting down next to Rowan who was smiling softly. Kevin came over quickly with breakfast for both of them, setting the warm plates down in front of his family with a flourish. Grabbing one for himself, they all picked at their food in silence. Normally on weekend's like this, Willow would be looking forward to meeting up with her friends to find something new to explore, or running some bizarre errand for Eda. Without Luz, both of those options seemed hollow. After all, what was the point of exploring without getting to witness all of Luz's different reactions?

Willow's heart sank as her body crumpled. _Without Luz._ The pain she felt was all too familiar as she began absentmindedly tapping her fork against the plate. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her fathers exchange a look. Kevin finished his breakfast and stood up suddenly, causing the other witches in the room to look up. As he cleaned his plate off in the sink Willow noticed just how tight his shoulders had become. She glanced at Rowan who was staring after his husband, his hand stroking his beard anxiously. 

Eventually Kevin sighed very loudly, dropping both the plate and the sponge in the sink. He didn't turn around.

"So… Amity huh? Back to being all buddy buddy. Despite what she did to you?" Came a highly accusatory question.

Willow's eyes widened as Rowan smacked a hand on the table. 

"KEVIN." The bearded man reprimanded his husband sharply. 

The man in question whipped around, pushing up his glasses as he stared at his partner with a raised eyebrow.

"What?! I thought we agreed we would be a united front on this!"

"We also agreed that it would be best to ease our Sprout into it." Rowan glared back. 

"Well sorry I don't feel comfortable with my daughter risking her life and her future to get back the girl who made her so miserable for _years_." 

"DADS!" Willow chided them both, setting her fork down on the plate with a fierce clatter. The noise immediately stopped the two husbands from their bickering. 

Rowan sighed and rubbed his temples as Kevin came back to the table and wrapped an arm around his husband. Looking at his daughter with kind eyes he gave Willow an apologetic smile. 

"I'm sorry Sprout, it's just that… well… we don't like to see you hurt."

Willow, finding her shock quickly wearing away, stared the older man down. His green eyes widened at his daughter's glare. 

"I'm not a big fan of being hurt either, but I think only I can decide who I can and can't be friends with." The plant witch replied coolly.

Rowan finally opened his eyes and squeezed his husbands hand. "I know, but Willow-"

"But nothing! Amity is my friend and so is Luz. And they're both counting on me to help get them back!"

"That's not what we mean sprout-" Rowan started, but Willow was having none of it. She knew they were concerned, knew why they were so protective, but none of that mattered now. 

"I told you last night what happened, why Amity did what she did." The plant witch growled.

Kevin looked away from his daughter's intense eyes as his gaze met the floor. Rowan on the other hand, met Willow's hostile stare and held it. It was true. Despite filling the parent squad and the twins in about Amity's abuse, she had later confided in her dads about Amity's party. The real truth about why the two best friends were torn apart, why Amity pushed her away. It stung and while talking about it she felt the pain from what Amity said still cutting her deep. The actions her former friend took after stinging even more. 

There was a freedom to it however. Something much lighter then her old motto, the one she used to cling to so desperately just to get by: 'Out of sight, out of mind.' 

There was no growth in keeping yourself in the shadows after all.

"Willow. There is a difference between pity for one's situation and true forgiveness. You don't have to forgive what Amity did to you just because she was hurting too." Rowan said gently, staring his daughter down with kind eyes.

"It's not just about forgiving though, is it? It's also about…" Willow paused, trying to find the right word. "Understanding, It's also about understanding. I _understand_ where Amity came from back then and I wish she had simply told me what was going on instead of assuming she could handle it all by herself. But that's just Amity for you." Willow explained with a sad smile. 

Her fathers looked up at her with a curious expression, but Willow ignored them. She stared hard at the table as she wrestled her feelings to the surface. There was something there, something that always seemed to nag at her whenever she was with Amity now. It was the reason she was able to smile when she saw Amity genuinely enjoying herself. Why she found herself so protective over how the green-haired witch was hurt by her own parents. Why she didn't hesitate when Amity told her and Gus to go and hold off the guards. Why she trusted so entirely that her former best friend would take care of Luz no matter what happened next.

"It's not about forgiving… or even pity. I _want_ to be friends with Amity again. It's all I ever wanted." Willow finally spoke aloud, feeling just how true her words really were as they settled over the room.

The realization brought a new wave of pain over her. Maybe she hadn't until that moment, maybe she was just denying the truth, but it was clear now that Willow had truly forgiven Amity for what she did. Now she was gone and the hollowness in her chest couldn't be filled. 

They were both just... gone.

Kevin got up and walked towards his daughter, his pale face unreadable. Rowan watched him go with wide eyes as Willow found she couldn't bring herself to look up from the table. She felt a large hand pat her back gently and heard her dad chuckle from somewhere above her. 

"Well… would you look at that. Our young Willow has grown into a wise old oak."

There was silence for just a moment before Rowan groaned loudly, causing his husband's chuckling to become a full on guffaw as Willow cracked a smile. 

"How dare you respond to our little girl's profound revelation with a _pun_. You are a true heathen." Rowan glared.

Kevin flashed him a wide grin as he tightly embraced Willow in a hug, leaning her into the table as he engulfed her. 

"Oh but you both love me _sooooo_ much!" He teased, tickling Willow affectionately as she giggled. His words and actions caused Rowan to roll his eyes, but a smile crept it's way onto his face nonetheless. 

"Daaadd." Willow complained, squirming out of his grip with a smile as he let her go. 

"Ohhh alright. I guess I have to admit it sometime. My little girl is growing up. Without me. Oh whatever shall I do?!" He moaned dramatically as he lifted an arm over his head, side-eying his husband the entire time. 

Rowan groaned and reached over the table to yank his partner closer, sitting the man down on his lap and kissing his cheek. 

"Oh stop it you." He growled affectionately before he turned to his daughter with soft eyes. "Willow I suppose we owe you an apology. Probably one to Amity as well. I have to admit, you have been so much happier since you found that human and reconnected with Amity."

Willow rolled her eyes. "I suppose I can forgive you." She teased back. The sadness in her chest was slowly chased away as she felt a mischievous smile grow on her face. "Besides… I haven't even told you the best part."

She had her father's attention now, both sets of eyes locked on her in curiosity. 

"You should see the way Amity acts around Luz." 

Both older witches leaned in close.

"Oh, do tell?" Kevin drawled, his dark eyebrow completely raised. 

"So you know how Amity used to get super flustered over the smallest things?"

"Yes?"

"Imagine that… but 10x times worse. Over a girl. More specifically? Over Luz."

Kevin cackled as Rowan's eyes widened. 

"No." The bearded man argued, unconvinced. 

"Yes."

"I don't believe you."

Willow closed her eyes with a smile and, summoning up her best Amity impression, she took a deep breath.

"And I quote, _'Me. On a team with you? Running around in cute uniforms? SWEATING?'_ " 

Kevin lost it, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt as his laughter echoed around the kitchen. Even Rowan couldn't help but grin now. Their reactions fueled Willow. She dearly loved her friends but the shenanigans they got up into were so ridiculous that it was almost a shame to keep them to herself. After all there was no one else in the world that she loved to gossip with more then her own fathers.

"Oh oh! And, when she injured her leg, Luz offered to carry her."

"Oh, no. That poor child."

Willow hummed calling upon her Amity impression once again. " _Hahaha, who's Amity? Oh wow, **sports**._"

"Oh please, now you're just making this up. You have to be!" Kevin laughed, removing his glasses and cleaning them off.

"I'm not though! That's the worst part!" Willow groaned. 

"Well what does Luz think of all of that… disaster?" Rowan asked curiously.

Willow set her head on the table with a heavy thud. "She hasn't noticed in the slightest."

"Oh sprout…" Rowan started sympathetically while his husband guffawed above him.

"Oh to be young and oblivious again! How long was it before you noticed I was trying to romance you, Ro-Ro?"

"Oh don't start this again. You were being a lot more subtle about it then the young Blight seems to be!" 

"I brought you flowers."

"So?" 

"Flowers." Kevin responded plainly. "I brought you flowers. Every. Single. Day."

"I thought you were just being nice!" Rowan yelped in response as his husband rolled his eyes. "It was either that or you were trying to annoy me! I thought Professor Bump was going to toss a wart potion at you with how many times you came in and disrupted his class!"

Willow slowly brought her head back up as she smiled. She had heard this argument a thousand times already. A knock at the door interrupted all of their festivities though as everyone turned towards the sound. 

The mood in the room was killed almost immediately, with both men exchanging a worried look. Rowan stood suddenly and approached the door, looking back behind him at Kevin who nodded. Standing protectively in front of Willow, Kevin made sure to block his daughter completely from view of the door as Rowan opened it swiftly. 

"Oh… hi Mr. Park! Is Willow awake yet?" Gus's pleasant voice came from the doorway.

***

"So... how was your dad this morning?" Willow asked after the pair had been walking in silence for almost too long. It wasn't like Gus to ever be this quiet. 

Gus's ears twitched at the question, but he didn't look up. 

"It was weird. I went downstairs and instead of us talking like usual, he was really quiet. The only time he spoke to me was when he said goodbye." The young illusionist said after a few seconds. He glumly magicked an illusion of his dad. The fake Perry gently patted his son's head before he turned and puffed away into a light blue cloud of smoke.

"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Gus added, shrugging. "I suppose he didn't either."

"Yeah…" Willow agreed. "I guess none of us did."

The two continued on in silence for a bit. The walk to Eda's house had always been one filled with excitement or anticipation, but now both young witches had to fight to keep from dragging their feet. Neither had any idea of what was going to happen next or how they would even begin to go about getting their friends back. The outskirts of Bonesborough where Willow lived was unnaturally quiet, so it was a relief to walk further into town, more specifically the large marketplace, and see it bustling with activity. 

Willow became more alert as they drew closer to the large crowds of people. Something was different about today. The energy of the market was calm and tamed… almost nervous. It was extremely strange for a place often known for it’s rowdier crowd.

"How long has it been?! Hours? Minutes?" A sharp and commanding voice came from beside them. Gus immediately turned towards the sound as Willow checked around them. Finding nothing immediately concerning, she turned as a crash came from the stall they had just passed. 

"No sir! I swear, I ain't seen them for a couple of days now! I swear it sir!" 

Willow dragged Gus by the collar of his jacket behind a nearby crate. They both watched as an older gentleman with green skin, 3 eyes and a beak was being held up by the collar of his shirt by a local town guard. He squirmed in the air, kicking his bird like feet and knocking off a variety of items on his small stand trying to get away. The guard growled as the beak of his mask leaned in closer to the man's face. 

"Oh really? Because I've been getting reports that you've had a lot of dealing's with them in the past. You're saying you haven't seen hide nor hair of them for _days?_." He questioned accusatorily, tossing the man backwards to the ground to enunciate his point. The stall owner backed up further into the dirt in fear as his arms covered his face.

"I ain't seen them! You've got to believe me!"

Willow tugged on Gus's arm as she eventually tore her eyes from the awful sight. 

"We should go. Quickly. " She whispered as her young friend merely nodded. 

They got up and kept their heads down, moving quicker now then ever. This time Willow was stopped by Gus as he skidded to a halt. She followed his outstretched hand to wall where a group of 3 guards were hanging what looked to be wanted posters. Two of the guards were keeping watch as the third unraveled each new poster and began applying it to the brick wall. Having no where to escape that wasn't in their line of sight, they found a nearby abandoned stall and hid out. Neither witch dared use their magic as they stared, hoping the crowds would part just enough to get a glimpse of what they were posting. Eventually, as the guard hanging the posters reached the last and largest one, a robed coven member approached the group. The two guards that were standing at attention nodded obediently. 

From beside her, Willow heard Gus inhale sharply as a guard pulled out a large circular brass horn. 

"Cover your ears. Now!" He yelped as his hands flew to his head. Willow followed without question as the guard took a deep breath and blew powerfully into the instrument.

Even without her hands covering her ears, the shrill yell of the horn nearly had the young witch entranced. The bardic note rang out through the crowd, the musical shockwave causing everyone in the marketplace to freeze at attention. Another longer note drew everyone almost hypnotically closer to the coven member standing beside the small group of guards and the posters they had hung. Everyone was now standing and staring, completely under the power of the siren who was blowing the horn. The guard put the magical instrument down as Willow finally uncovered her ears, Gus following quickly after. Drawing a quick spell circle, the bardic guard cast it at his throat. 

"Attention Boiling Isles residents. This is an urgent message relayed from Belos himself. Be quiet and listen up, or be prepared to be sent off to the Conformatorium for conspiracy to treason!" He announced, his booming voice magically amplified by the spell he had just cast. As his announcement commenced, multiple guards and coven members stepped out from the crowd to surround the large of circle of people.

All chances for escape were blocked. 

Willow shrunk even further behind the stall. Her green eyes watched curiously as the robed coven member stepped forward. Their robes were just slightly different from the classic Emperor's Coven uniform, a small symbol of golden wings engraved on the left breast of the cloak. The plant witch felt a growing dread as she recognized the symbol. 

The head of the Emperor's coven looked all around them as they took in the crowd. Eventually, after a long pause they reached up and peeled the mask off revealing a dark green head of hair and terrifyingly cold, grey eyes. 

"She looks like Amity…" Gus commented quietly from beside her. With a shock, Willow realized he had never before seen their friend's mother.

Odalia Blight grimaced as her nose turned up at the sight in front of her. She held up a pale hand, and the guard who was previously hanging the posters on the wall stepped forward next to her. Using two arms, the guard cast a large light blue circle. Above the crowd a large screen flickered to life, on it the projection of 4 wanted posters. Willow shrunk ever further into the stall as the two friends finally caught a glimpse of exactly what was printed on the mystery posters. 

"Last night, an act of unforgivable treason took place at his lordship's castle. A pair of 4 criminals infiltrated the palace and caused an untold amount of damage with the intent of disrupting the Day of Unity preparations held there. They were thwarted, of course, by Emperor Belos himself, but managed to flee before we could fully apprehend them. The faces you see above you may seem like mere children, but these 4 have shown an incredible proficiency in stealth, manipulation and magic." She drawled slowly and authoritatively, completely stone faced and professional. 

The screen above them flickered as Willow's poster was singled out and magnified. On it were the words ' _WANTED: Name Unknown, Alias - Nightshade_ '. It was a black and white sketch of a person resembling Willow, her mask detailed almost perfectly, a rich mahogany wood with a simply swirl by the right eye that ended in a water lily. The flower petals on the edges of her mask were the only thing of color on the entire poster, a vibrant bright pink. 

"We have reason to believe that the following citizens are all students judging from the clothing they wore the night of the break-in. We are still searching for the names of two in the group. This criminal in particular showed an unnatural ability in Plant magic, creating large spiked vines and covering an entire room in man-eating flowers. Be advised that she is extremely dangerous. Anyone having any information regarding this traitor is to inform the authorities immediately." 

Next the screen flashed to Gus's portrait. It was similar to Willow's, a simple headshot vaguely resembling the features of the young boy. The poster seemed to be enchanted as the spiral covering his colored, grey, walnut wood mask seemed to actually move, curling inwards on itself in a hypnotizing pattern. The words read almost the exact same except for the alias. 

"Cool. The Illusionist! I could get used to that." Gus grinned.

"At least you got a fitting name. Nightshade seems so cliché. It's not even really a remarkable plant." Willow grumbled.

"This young man's illusions are highly advanced, capable of replacing an entire wall. Mixing his magic with the others, his illusions are given substance and can be highly deceiving and dangerous. Information about him is to be reported straight to the guards." Odalia continued, describing Gus in a venomous tone. 

Next came Amity's poster. This one was already far different then the two previous. Amity had two headshots, one including her mask, a pale birch with two darkened lines hanging down from the eyes, and the second without the mask. Hers was also completely printed in color. It was scarily accurate to their green-haired friend, the only inconsistency being the small patch of chestnut hair at the bridge of her scalp. Instead of being at only the peak of her hairline it was much larger and took over the majority of her scalp. Above the two images the caption read: 'WANTED: Amity'.

Willow frowned, the entire poster seemed like a cover-up and she knew the woman standing in front of the crowd had everything to do with it. She was trying to separate the Blight name from the traitor above them. From the poster alone and Odalia's furious face, it was clear Amity would no longer be welcome at home if she ever did return. 

"We already have plenty of information about this one." Odalia sneered. Willow watched curiously as the Coven leader's eyes seemed to linger on her daughter for a moment longer before she whipped back around to face the crowd. "Any information about this traitor's whereabouts is to be reported to the Emperor's coven directly. She is highly trained in all forms of magic, specializing in abomination magic, capable of creating and commanding multiple fully formed golems at the same time."

The large screen above the crowd flicked to the last poster.

"Finally, this is The Boiling Isles Most Wanted: Luz the Human." 

Luz's poster was the most detailed of them all, instead of a simple headshot, she had a full body portrait. Her signature purple and white hoodie adorned her shorts and legging's as the cloak Eda had made for her billowed dramtically behind her. Above her head hovered multiple light spells. The caption read just as Odalia announced in large aggressive lettering: 'Boiling Isles Most Wanted: Luz the Human.'

"This human is the mastermind behind multiple schemes against the Emperor and is to be captured by all means necessary. She is not magical but has somehow leeched magic from the Titan itself and used it to cast basic spells. Most notable is her 'light' spell." 

With a small flourish, the head of the coven cast a simple child's spell and a small ball of cold light hovered in the air above her. Her icy glare scanned the crowd slowly. 

"Be advised, this girl is highly manipulative, capable of turning even the most… loyal, the most _obedient_ witches traitorous. Even against their own family." Odalia snarled, her hand jetting forward and snuffing the light spell within her fist.

The illusionist currently operating the large display strained as they pulled up each Wanted poster side by side. 

"These criminals are set on ruining the festivities and celebration that Lord Belos has been planning for years. The peace we all have strived for since he pulled us single handedly out of the dark Savage Ages. The Day of Unity must go on without incident. We have worked too hard for this day to merely let these interlopers destroy it all with their delusional ideals. Their punishments will be severe, as will yours if you are found guilty of harboring any sort of information that could lead to their capture. Along with the hunt for these traitors, new laws have been put in place to protect the happenings of the upcoming Day of Unity which is scheduled a mere 4 weeks from now." 

With that announcement, the illusionist projecting the screen released their magic and collapsed into the arms of their friend waiting patiently beside them. The bardic guard from earlier stepped forward to hand Odalia a scroll which she unrolled quickly and read aloud. 

"Any persons found out on the street after 8pm are to be found guilty of breaking curfew and will be sentenced to the Conformatorium. Any persons found to be of any hindrance to a guard or coven member performing their job or transporting items of any sort are to be found guilty and sentenced to the Conformatorium. Any persons found to have any information regarding the 4 suspects we have just listed and have purposefully kept it from law enforcement will be sent directly to Lord Belos himself to await their punishment. Am I understood?" Odalia questioned sharply after the end of the list. 

The crowd was alight with concerned murmurs and whispers. They were restless with the new information they had just received. There was never a time in which such strict laws were enforced. Calmly, Odalia snapped for the bard standing beside her who nodded swiftly. This time Gus didn't need to warn Willow as he brought the instrument he carried up to his mouth and blew another powerful note. 

A hush immediately fell over the crowd as all whispering ceased. 

"These laws are for your safety. You are hereby dismissed. If you have any information you would like to share you may report to one of the many guards standing beside you before you go." 

With that, the guards surrounding the crowd parted. Odalia watched sharply as everyone slowly filtered out of the circle before turning to her entourage. Casting a large circle that sparked and crackled with power, they all disappeared in a flash of grey light. 

Willow and Gus stayed crouched behind the stall, afraid of moving, of being caught. Eventually as the crowd died down and the guards moved away, Willow got the courage to stand, holding a hand out to her friend she gulped nervously.

"We need to get to Eda…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm siiiiiicccccccck. 
> 
> You know, rereading this over to edit, I realize I should've really split this chapter in two but by the time I was able to actually sit down and write the first part it had already been so long since I updated that I just knew I had to give y'all something more. 
> 
> Anyways, regarding chapter notes, as much fun as it is to follow our girl's shenanigan's in the human world, there is a whole group of people left behind to pick up the pieces in the demon dimension. Also. Even in a whole different work, even far away from her parents and friends, _I refuse to give Amity a break_. Maaaan writing The Parks was so much fun. They are so cute together honestly and their relationship with Willow is obviously such a loving one. 
> 
> As for what happened next? Well... it definitely seems like our little rebel group is in some serious hot water. You know what I really love about having 2 different storylines taking place at about the same time? I get to make you guys wait even longer on a cliffhanger. :D
> 
> Please fully expect me to abuse that power as I deem fit. As always, I love you and thank you for reading!


	11. A Surprise Planning Session

“HOOT HOOT! VISITORS. Or criminals! Same thing.” Hooty trilled loudly.

Willow and Gus winced as the bird tube appeared beside them. From the kitchen the kids could hear Eda groan. 

"Hey! We aren't criminals." Willow pointed out, as Gus was uncomfortably eyed the door demon.

"Relax kid. Round here, that word is a compliment." Eda assured her from the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against it with a whisk in hand. The older woman sauntered into the living room and Willow noticed almost immediately that she had one of her signature novelty aprons on. Today it read: _I Serve in my Curves._

"Should I send them out? Have you told them that Luz is staying at a friend's house? I know I'd want to be told that!" The bird tube squawked as Willow and Gus faced him with questioning looks. 

"But Luz's not-"

Eda moved faster then anyone could blink, wrapping Gus up in one arm while snaking a hand around his mouth to quiet him before the sentence was finished. The whisk clattered to the ground behind them as Hooty stared blankly at the commotion. 

"It's fine Hooty, these kids were just going to the market with me. Got to put them to work somehow!" Eda said a little too cheerfully as she hoisted Gus into the air. 

With long awkward strides she slowly made her ways backwards into the kitchen. Willow was frozen in place, confused by whatever had just happened. She opened her mouth to explain where they had just been but the older woman flashed her a dangerous look. Eyes widening the young witchling simply followed her friend and The Owl Lady through the kitchen and out the backdoor, waving kindly at Hooty who was staring at them with the same intense blank stare he had before. 

The door demon didn't say a word as they left. It filled Willow with a unease she couldn't quite describe.

"What was that all about?" Gus exclaimed as soon as the older lady had let him go. "Doesn't Hooty know that Luz is in the human world?!"

"No! And we aren't going to tell him either!" Eda snapped back just as quickly. Sighing heavily, she rubbed her temples.

"Wait, why? And why are we going to the market?" Gus questioned suspiciously.

"We just came from there and I don't think it's a good idea to go back just yet-"

"I know, I know…" Eda nodded uninterested, cutting Willow off midsentence. The older lady paused for a moment and rubbed her chin. "Well I didn't know that exactly... but that's beside the point. We aren't going to the market. That was just a ploy so Hooty doesn't get suspicious."

Willow frowned. Sure Hooty was annoying, and intrusive, but he was never harmful. She glanced at Gus who glanced back at her. Nodding they both took a scheming step forward and stared down The Owl Lady.

"Whoa. No need to get so close. What is this?" The older witch frowned as she gestured back and forth to the two kids approaching her.

"Why are you keeping it a secret from Hooty?" Gus leaned in with a questioning eyebrow. 

"Why don't you guys want to go back to the market huh?" Eda shot back childishly. 

"One thing at a time." Willow stepped forward between both of them. "Look. If we are going to be over here talking about finding a new portal for Luz then we deserve to know why we can't just say that."

The Owl Lady rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine you caught me. Hooty gets… weird… when people leave him."

Willow giggled. Weird was an understatement for how the door guardian usually acted. One quick look from Eda however had the plant witch quiet. She was serious. Gus aired her concerns out loud however.

"So? Hooty is weird about everything!"

"Look, uh… this is a different. I don't really know how to explain it. Or why he does it. Or why he does anything he does."

Willow's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, we're going to need more then that."

Eda sighed heavily and glanced back at her house. Walking over to a nearby tree she leaned casually against it and crossed her arms impatiently.

"When me and King first met, well, we weren't exactly the crime committing experts we are today. Long story short, his little tiny legs got him caught one night while I was able to escape. We didn't know each other all that well back then, and though I tried breaking him out, I couldn't get close. After his time was up, I didn't think he would really want to come back to living with me. So I broke the news to Hooty." Eda explained, looking up at the pine needles of the tree she was standing under.

The two witchling's were watching her with wide eyes, hanging onto every word. It wasn't often that Eda went into specifics of her adventures. 

"Hooty got… real quiet. For a couple of hours at least. Which as you know, is very un-Hooty of him. Needless to say he gave me the absolute creeps during that time. And that was before he started with the mumbling." Eda shivered as if the memory was a cold breeze. "I tried ignoring him, as I usually do, but in the middle of the night he slowly slinked up to my bedroom window and… _watched_ me. Eyes glowing blue and everything. Never seen them do that before. Still haven't to this day."

At this, Willow and Gus exchanged a look. There was a time they had both seen Hooty's eyes glow. The night of the Conjuring the entire Owl House itself had the same bright blue glow that filled Hooty's eyes.

"Annnnyways, long story short I had to tell him a quick lie about how King would be home in a couple of days. Obviously everything worked out because King is still here and Hooty is… well he isn't normal but at least he isn't glowing eye bedroom stalking anymore."

"Ok. So… no telling Hooty. Got it." Gus nodded with slightly wide and traumatized eyes and Willow couldn't blame him for being nervous. The very idea of Hooty's long form slowly slinking in through a bedroom window…

That was what nightmares were filled with. 

Willow's mind however was occupied with something else.

"You don't know why his eyes would glow blue? Didn’t you create him or something? You know… him being kinda an owl and owls being _your_ thing. He protects _your_ house after all!"

Eda closed her eyes and laughed. "Oh kid. I am powerful, or was at least, but even the great and legendary Owl Lady can't just _create_ a demon. Nah, Hooty came with the house. If I had known he came with the house though I would've picked a different place to hide out in."

Willow blinked curiously. Eda opened her eyes and was met only with blank stares.

"What?"

"You.…didn't create The. Owl. House?" Gus asked slowly, enunciating his words carefully.

"Build a house? Are you crazy? I was always terrible at Construction magic anyways. No, this old shack was here long before me. I just made it mine. Stumbled into the woods one day after I transformed and never left." Eda chuckled before growing quiet. "It was actually where I found the key to the human portal. The one that brought Luz here…"

"Hey! Losers! Do me and Lilith got news for you!" King's voice yelled at them from a distance. Turning sharply, the group of three saw the former coven leader and the little demon king walking briskly up the hill next to them. They each had a bundle of paper held tightly in their arms. 

"What are you all doing out here anyways?"

***

"Of course that good for nothing garbage bag of an Emperor would pull something like this. Early curfew is one thing but what the heck does interfering with a guard even mean?!" Eda groaned as Willow and Gus had finished filling in the small Owl Family about what had happened at the marketplace. 

Lilith grew serious as she stared down at the Wanted Posters both her and King had managed to collect while they were out. 

"It means he's trying to find any excuse he can to keep the peace. That's twice now his plans have been interrupted in almost 50 years of ruling unchallenged." She said solemnly, sorting through the pile to keep her hands busy. Eda watched closely as one by one each wanted poster was revealed. 

Lilith's hand shook slightly as she set aside Amity's and finally… Luz's. It was clear that Luz's poster had an immediate effect on Eda. Her grey and yellow eyes widened as her golden fang bit down on her lip. Slowly she reached forward and pulled the piece of paper off the table and held it up. The table exchanged worried glances as the Owl Lady was unnaturally still and quiet. 

"Heh." Eda laughed shortly and stiffly. She stood up, knocking her chair back as she did, grasping the paper in her hand tightly. 

For a moment, Willow was terrified that Eda was about to cry. Swiftly however, the Owl Lady flipped the poster around and gestured to it with a wide smile. 

"Now this a level of mischievous misdeeds that you two need to work up to! See this? Kid's got a Full. Body. Portrait. That is the highest honor of Wanted Posters. Took me years to work up to this level!" Eda announced as she grabbed a spare talon from a basket on the counter.

Lilith groaning loudly, Eda marched proudly into the living room. The older witch hesitated only a moment before driving the spike, Luz attached, deep into the wall, completely covering up her own large bounty. 

"Alright. Now, it's obvious that we can't just let Bel-oser get away with doing whatever he wants. One because, ew, and second because whatever he has planned includes some kind of connection to the human world. If he controls any sort of portal then Luz-" At this Eda looked directly at the door before swallowing hard, "Then our _associates_ can't use it to come back."

Lilith nodded. "I worked alongside-"

" **Under.** " Eda coughed.

"- the Emperor for years." Lilith continued, glaring daggers at her sister as she stood. "He has kept his plans for the Day of Unity close to his chest the entire time. Even I don't know what he's planning."

"In all fairness Ms. uh Clawthorn ma'am, you didn't even know about his palisman thing either." Gus pointed out helpfully.

Lilith's eyes flashed for just a second before they melted. 

"No… I didn't." The former coven leader admitted as she crumpled back down into the chair. King, who was sitting up on some spare textbooks next to her laid his skulled head comfortingly on her arm.

Willow silently kicked Gus under the table as realization dawned on the young boy's face. He may have been incredibly intelligent but sometimes Gus, while covering all of his bases, would sometimes forget the emotional impact of a decision or fact. It had cost him potential friends in the past and while Willow knew he worked harder and harder every day at maintaining a high level of support for those around him, it still sometimes slipped out. 

Even he couldn't possibly know the pain of losing a paliman though. 

"Lack of knowledge never stopped me before! Won't start now!" Eda said confidently as she made her way back over to the table. "But luckily we aren't starting with nothing. As much as we still need to have a little _discussion_ about you guys keeping Luz's 'episodes' away from me, they still let us know Belos has a weakness. We keep interrupting those palisman shipments like you guys did, then he can't do anything but slowly work through his personal collection. In the meantime we'll pick up where Luz and Amity left off and-" Eda stopped herself suddenly, slowly looking over everyone in the room.

Gus, Willow, King and Lilith were all staring at The Owl Lady with wide eyes. King's jaw dropped open as Lilith's eyebrow nearly escaped her face. 

"What?!" She snapped angrily, glaring at everyone's astonished expressions. 

"What the hell was THAT?!" King yelled, pulling himself up to stand on the table. 

"What was what?"

"King is correct Edalyn. That sounded an awful lot like you were forming a… plan." Lilith teased, a slow grin crawling onto her face. 

The two witchling's giggled as Eda raised her own eyebrow in a challenge.

"So what if it is! Someone has to get my kid back, and I don't want that lying, cheating, son of a bi-"

"Edalyn, language!" Lilith interrupted sharply, glancing at Willow and Gus while her hands flew to cover King's 'ears'. The little demon king swiftly fought her off as Eda continued.

"Son of a biiiiiii…tter Emperor anywhere near her again." Eda growled out protectively. "Anyways. One of the last not-lies I was told was that Luz and the young Blight went to the library to find other options for a portal home. Now I know the library ain't a riot by any means but somebody needs to go-"

"We'll do it!" Willow said quickly, jumping on the chance not to do anything specifically illegal any time soon. Besides, they already knew the secret room that Luz and Amity had horded all of the library's books on the human world in. That would already give them a huge step forward. 

Eda looked slightly taken aback, but smiled none the less. "Excellent. Well then now all we need is someone to keep eyes on the Emperor and his coven." 

King started to raise his hand but Lilith gently swiped it back down on the table as he glared at her. 

"The Blight sibling's should be able to provide that for us. With their mother and father in the coven now-"

"Yeah about that Lily, we should really talk about those kid's… home life." Eda interrupted her, looking pointedly at the raven-haired witch. "I'm not sure how I feel about them going back there when-"

"Where are they anyways? Edric and Emira said they would be coming back didn't they?"

The Owl family all looked around at one another with uncertainty, Gus's question hanging heavy over their heads. It was getting fairly late in the day already and there had been no sign of the Blight twins all day.

"Don't you two have their numbers or something? Some way to contact them?" Lilith swiftly glanced over at Willow and Gus who merely shrugged in response.

The older woman growled as she stood up sharply. 

"Oh and where are you going?" King yelled up at her. Beside him Eda closed her mouth, the confused look of someone who was just about to say the same thing stricken on her face.

"I'm going to Blight Manor to check on them." Lilith replied sharply, not turning around to look at the little demon. 

It was King's turn to growl as he jumped on the raven witch's shoulder. "Then I'm going with you. I'd love to see what a catfight this will be!" He squealed excitably as he pointed a clawed finger towards the door. "Onwards!"

"I am not carrying you the entire time like we did in the market!"

"You can and you will carry your King! Think of it as rent payment!"

They continued to bicker back and forth as the pair left in a rush, without a word or glance at anyone else. Eda, Willow and Gus all looked at each other with blank and confused expressions.

"What… just happened? Should I be concerned about that pair?" Eda asked the ceiling as her hand hit her face.

Willow snickered at her expression as she stood herself, Gus following her. Patting The Owl Lady gently on the arm she walked with Eda to the door.

"Probably. But Luz also brought them together in the first place trying to save you. I'm sure they'll be fine. Looks like they get along just fine anyways." The plant witch snickered.

"And where are you two off to?" Eda exclaimed, narrowing her eyes as the kids opened the door to step out. 

"To the library of course!" Gus answered confidently. "It's getting late and we _really_ shouldn’t be caught after curfew." He grinned as they both turned to leave. 

Eda's face fell as she watched them start walking down the path. After they had walked down the road leading away from The Owl House for awhile, Willow turned around. The look on Eda's face was like a lost chick as she stared after the two kids.

"Well… make sure to hold on to your masks! And don't let anyone get too close of a look at your face! And I expect you guys back here right away tomorrow!" She yelled down at them, cupping her hands around her mouth to make it to make herself louder.

"We'll stop by right after school Ms Eda! Promise!" Gus yelled back, walking backwards and waving.

"Wait… _school?!_ " Eda's voice cried out concernedly as Willow grabbed Gus and began sprinting down the path back to the city. For the time being, it was best that the Owl Lady didn't worry about what they faced tomorrow. Besides, they had a library to get to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... remember at the end of the last chapter when I said I was sick? Well my body went _**BET**_ and decided to try it's hand at killing me with a week long virus and SUPER high fever. I'm just now getting better. Feeling less like I got hit by a train and dragged through a woodchipper and more just kinda feeling like I got hit by a car. Which meannnnnssss I can finally write again!
> 
> Sadly this chapter probably wasn't worth the wait. It's that time in every story when we need to tackle some exposition and start setting up some new steps and directions to go in. And because I CANT WRAP UP ANY LOOSE THREADS I JUST NEED TO KEEP MAKING MORE, SOMEONE STOP ME. 
> 
> Also. It's canon now that Eda has a collection of semi-flirty novelty aprons. I will not take no for answer. Not sorry bout it. See y'all for the next update, hopefully sooner!


	12. Hopeless

A Blight must never show emotion.

A Blight must never show weakness.

A Blight must never levitate a nearby vase into their mother's face…

Emira fought off a smirk as she felt her fingers twitching. She knew it could never happen, that she would never act on those feelings… but titan, how incredibly relieving it would feel…

Deep down the witch knew she should be listening. That she should be absorbing her mother's speech in order to actually be of use to someone for once, but she couldn't think past the emotions swirling inside of her. The anger from yesterday had dulled due to the house arrest her and her brother had been placed under but it didn't ease the itch to do something. To ease the guilt of not doing anything. 

"You and Edric will have to be on your best behavior. Due to Amity's actions, I have lost the Emperor's trust tremendously. He has put me on night patrols for the time being, meaning I will be here during the day to continue both you and your brother's training. You have gotten away with this… _subpar_ skill and discipline for too long. That stops now. Every day after school you will come straight home. Tomorrow there will be coven members stopping by your school to look for the remaining two criminals from the heist. Please don't embarrass our family name anymore in front of them. Do you understand?"

Emira simply nodded along, after all it was best not to speak when her mother got like this. That didn't exactly mean she was listening though. The emerald haired witch still couldn't shake the horrible guilt that bubbled in her chest. How many times did Odalia drag Amity into her room to have one of her 'lectures'? How many of those lectures ended with Amity 'going to bed early?' How many times did Emira convince herself she didn't hear her sister crying in her room at night through the hallways, fully convinced that her little sister, the strongest of all of them, could never break?

The vase in the corner caught her attention once again. 

Why?

Why did their mother push her so hard? Why didn't Mittens ever tell them there was something going on? How could it get to such a point that an outsider, a stranger to this world and to the Blights was the one to finally realize something was wrong and try to fix it?

Emira's heart lifted just a bit thinking about Luz. It was like a light spot in the darkness that had recently blanketed the manor. As Odalia droned on about the lesson plans they were going to cover, Emira felt a spark of hope. No matter how far away Amity was, she had Luz. They had each other. The witch thought back to the day Amity had run from them. Run straight to Luz in the library. Yes her sister had seemed panicked when her sibling's entered the room, but the moments before that shock had hit, Amity looked so peaceful. Luz was her safe spot. Luz was the thing that got Little Miss Perfect to smile, to crack in her seriousness. 

Luz would keep Amity safe.

Luz would keep them both safe until her older sister got them back. 

"Emira!" Odalia's sharp voice cut through the light Emira had found.

"Yes mother." Emira responded dutifully, almost on pure reaction. If her mother was going to try and catch her off guard, she was going to have to try harder then that. The eldest Blight had been groomed to be the perfect peace keeper between parents and between her siblings. 

Odalia's lips curled back in an approving, sinister smile.

"Very well. Well then, I am due to set out any moment now. Your father should be coming home just a few hours from now. _Do not_ disturb him. He believes you two are a lost cause. Hopeless. A waste for the Blight name. For a time, I believed him correct. Do not make me regret changing my mind."

Emira swallowed.

"Yes, mother."

Odalia Blight nodded once before standing up gracefully and sweeping out the room. When Emira was sure she was far enough away, her finger twitched, overcome with magic and emotions she swept it across the room. It wasn't just the vase that was caught up in the wave of magic, but also the stack of books that her mother had swept into the room with as well. They crashed against the far wall with a sharp clatter.

"Hopeless." The young witch repeated coldly. Her finger swept back across the room, her pale blue magic picking up the scattered remains of glass and loose pages and tossing them in a different direction. She let the magic ties fade as they collided into the opposite wall with even more fury. Emira was breathing heavily now, her fingers sparking with magic as the cold edges of her anger heated up once more at her mother's words. 

A knock at the door stopped all of it in an instant.

"…Em?" Edric's voice came softly following the knock.

Emira's eyes widened. Her head snapped in the direction of the mess she had just made. A quick spell circle transformed the pile into the illusion of loose laundry. The emerald haired witch did not forget the memory of her twin's fearful eyes last night when she had nearly lost it all. She had to stay strong for both of them. 

Which meant that she needed to take her lessons as a Blight seriously. Don't. Show. Emotion.

"Yeah, come on in ya doof. Since when do we ever knock?!" Emira joked as the door to her room creaked slowly open. 

Edric looked… horrible. There were dark circles under his eyes and he seemed to blink painfully at the light in the room. Emira's heart twisted before she felt the familiar burn of anger surge through her body. They had been restricted to their rooms all day while their parent's did 'damage control' in the Emperor's eyes. After the state the twins had been in coming back from Eda's the last thing Ed needed was to be isolated. Yet he was, living out his worst fear, being left alone, Emira having been unreachable that night because of her own uncontrollable emotions.

"Is everything ok?"

Even after all her twin had been dealing with, he was still worried about her. Emira dug her nails into the palm of her hand to keep her emotions in check.

"Yeah, just mom's lectures getting to me. That's all. I'm sure you got the same rundown." Emira waved his question off, moving to flop onto her bed while her twin continued to stand awkwardly in her doorway. 

"I did. Aren't you concerned?"

"About?"

Ed shuffled in the corner, moving to close the door behind him. When it clicked shut he slid down against it and sat on the floor.

"If we are stuck here… then how are we going to help Amity?"

The question hung in the air between the siblings, growing heavier and heavier as only silence answered his question. What could they do? They were trapped. Their mother would not let a single thing slip under her new reign…

Two new voices filled in the silence as they drifted up through Emira's open window.

"Would you get off of me already?!"

"Weh! Watch the shoving! Is that any way to treat your king?! I'm staying right here, that way when you miss I can show you exactly how you went wrong!" 

Emira sat up on her bed. She glanced at Ed with a furrowed brow as the voices began to register in her mind. They continued their bickering as together, the twins moved towards the window.

"I cannot throw with you clinging to my shoulder like an annoying rat." Lilith said plainly, crossing her arms and huffing. 

King crawled up her shoulder and clung to the top of her head causing the raven-haired witch to wince and scowl. Once the little demon king had acquired his balance, he sat cross-legged on her scalp, crossing his arms with a smirk.

"There. No longer on your shoulder. Go on, show me this _amazing_ arm you have. We _definitely_ have all night for this." King's voice dripped heavily with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes underneath his skull.

"Um, can we help you two?" Emira asked, leaning out the window lazily.

"If you're trying to be obnoxious you should really consider working together. It helps." Ed continued wisely from beside her. "We could give you some pointers."

Both demon and witch jumped in alarm, King crashing to the ground in a startled squeak as Lilith clutched at her chest.

Emira felt herself smile. A real, genuine smile. Ed cackled beside her and she felt that smile warm her heart even further. Yes she was curious as to why Mitten's former mentor and Eda's little sidekick were outside their window sounding like they were about to throw something at it, but this felt normal. This felt like the kind of shenanigan's her and Ed were in complete control over. The familiarity of it brought a strange comfort over the witch.

Under her, Lilith seemed to finally catch her breath as King dusted himself off.

"Apologies Edric, Emira." Lilith acknowledged them both. "We didn't mean to bother you, I just needed your attention and I figured tossing a rock up there would be the most-"

"Oh my titan." King groaned loudly, rolling his eyes and interrupting the former coven leader. "What she's trying to say is we came all the way here to check on you two. You two ditched the meeting and we want to know why."

Emira bit back a laugh. They wanted to know why? Almost as if they were concerned, as if they could do anything. She looked over at Ed and the sentiment died on her tongue. His eyes were filled with hope. Sighing heavily Emira slouched in defeat against the windowsill as Edric filled the two in. For the most part, she tuned her brother out. Putting their situation into words made her frustrated. It made her fingers curl and her blood burn. So instead, as he continued talking, she walked away from the window. She needed a plan. They needed a plan. Ed was right, how were they going to help if they were stuck inside, forced to go home right away after school? Forced to be under their mother's thumb…

Emira's eyes widened.

She heard Lilith and King updating Edric of their situation outside, but her mind was elsewhere. Shuffling through the pile she had launched into the corner earlier she found exactly what she was looking for. Her palm grazed a jagged piece of glass as her hand shot out to snatch a spare notebook her mother had left. She barely even registered the pain. Drawing a spell circle that sent small droplets of blood dripping out onto the floor, Emira hid the damaged pile once again in an illusion as she leapt to her desk to find a pen.

"So. We are currently stuck. Unless you guys have any ideas." Edric sighed out the window. Emira could hear that his sentiment was met with nothing but silence.

"Don't worry. I've got one." Emira announced as she finished her scribbles. Walking over to the window again she felt her twin's eyes on her.

"Here, catch." Emira said plainly as she carelessly tossed the newly wrapped up piece of paper out the window. King scrambled towards it, snatching it up quickly in his claws before it hit the ground. "Will you two be willing to sneak out every night?" She questioned the pair beneath her.

Lilith stared up at her with inquisitive emerald eyes before she slowly nodded. "What do you have in mind?" 

"Belos has put our mom on night patrols until she can prove to him that he can trust the Blight name once more. That means we can't leave during the day or risk curfew at night. We're stuck inside with her during the day, but that also means she's stuck inside with us. Me and Ed have made it our mission to find the best and most efficient way of annoying our little sister, I'm sure it won't be long until we can find out just how far we can push our mother's buttons. Just how much we can run her down. Distract her." Emira grinned in the rapidly fading light.

She watched as the little demon's eyes lit up below her and glanced to her left where Edric's own eyes danced with a similar mischief as he connected with his sister's plan almost instantly. 

"We run her down during the day. You guys continue to do your thing at night. We'll write down anything we learned that could help you. All you have to do is make sure to pay little ole us a visit and we'll toss you down what we got." Emira finished simply, clenching her hands into fists as the first semblance of a plan finally gripped her. It helped chase away the pain that had slowly began to creep in from the gash on her hand.

This is how they could help. This is how they would be of use.

Lilith's eyes started to alight as Emira watched a grin tug at the corners of her mouth. 

"That sounds perfectly acceptable Emira. We'll see you this time tomorrow. Please let us know if you need anything at all and we'll do our best to deliver." 

"Just get us our sister back, and we'll call it even."

The former coven leader nodded solemnly as King's claws dug deep into the parchment he was holding. Despite the grumbling they had earlier, Lilith bent down to pick the little demon up and hoisted him onto her shoulders as she turned to walk away.

"Oh and one more thing." Emira called out as she watched them start to leave. Both fugitives turned back to her in sync. 

"Find something to shove in your ears on the way home. Mother likes traveling with a bard. His songs are half the reason she catches anyone at all. I made sure to write all about it in that first note. Share it with anyone who's going to be traveling after curfew." 

"I knew there was no way she was simply 'predicting' where all those criminals were hiding. As if that lazy, entitled good for nothing _witch_ ever did _all_ the hard work." Lilith growled, her eyes turning dangerous in the low light. From the angry tone of her voice, it wasn't hard at all to imagine the former rivalry between the two. 

The twins watched the unlikely pair sneak away into the night without another word, before Emira softly closed her window to the outside world. She turned to Edric with a reassuring smile. 

"Can you imagine just how angry Mittens would be if she knew our way of 'helping' her was to just annoy someone?" Edric announced, grinning back at her. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to become less and less severe as a familiar mischief twinkled in his eyes. 

Emira felt a stab of pain go through her heart at the thought of their sister. She shoveled it down as she forced herself to bring out a convincing smile. 

"Oh yeah. She would be furious. All the more reason to get Amity back quickly. That way we can rub it in her face." 

Edric laughed as he headed to the door, much more at eased and relaxed then when he had first crept in. He turned around to face his sister as Emira's eyes caught a vibrant flash of red on her desk, right near the door. Bolting over to hide it from her brother she leaned against it, blocking the blood from view. Edric was finally relaxing, she couldn't risk him getting worried over her sake. No matter how much pain it caused her to lean against her injured hand.

"Well, we better be getting to bed. I'm sure mom will have us up bright and early tomorrow." Emira groaned, hoping that her twin would get the hint. Luckily for her, it seemed Edric didn't need much as a large yawn erupted from his mouth. 

"Yeah yeah, don't remind me." Ed joked as he faced back towards the door and pulled it open. "Night Em." He mumbled as he passed through it sleepily. As the door began to shut Emira almost swore she heard him say something else, but it was too faint and too quiet to make out. 

Now facing an empty and quiet room, Emira finally stole a glance at her hand. A large gash jaggedly cut across the flesh on her palm. The glass had dug a lot further into her hand then she had realized. As the pain caught up to her the emerald haired witch staggered her way to her bed and sat down. Normally an injury like this would be no big deal. A simple trip down the hall, a half baked lie about being more careful in the future and her sister would fix it right up. Only some grief given. After all, Amity always pretended like it was such a burden, but Emira knew the real truth. Her sister loved being able to heal. To use the magic her parents had once claimed was too weak for a Blight to study. It was the only time Mittens used magic and didn't seem like she was doing it to prove a point. To impress someone. 

Maybe it was the pain, maybe it was just how tired Emira suddenly felt, but a tear slipped it's way down the witch's face. The anger that had been bubbling under the surface of her skin for the past day and a half had all fled, leaving her cold and shaking. The raw and empty place it left behind almost threatened to consume her as more tears fell from her eyes. 

For the first time since Amity had disappeared, Emira let herself really feel. She let herself cry. It wasn't the mindless emotion she had felt that first night, when she had locked Edric out. This time she was painfully aware of just what was wrong. What was missing. Amity was gone, and the terrible and awful feeling's that accompanied that thought was the only thing that seemed to fill the void where her anger used to rest. She had no idea how long she laid there, large sobs heaving her chest up and down, but eventually her tears came to a stop. Eventually the pain in her heart lessened to a more manageable degree, and slowly, Emira sat back up. Her palm still throbbed, but her mind was clear now. Clearer then it had ever been before. She glanced at her desk where the blood from earlier had dried. Walking over to the notebook she had furiously scribbled in earlier, she ran her injured hand gently over the fresh paper. 

"Hopeless." Emira chuckled. 

She pulled out her chair as she picked up a pen. The throbbing in her hand only helped to keep her mind alert as she remembered just every lecture, every rant, every braggart comment that her parents had ever shared about their job and position under the Emperor. 

"Well you are correct about one thing. You've been sleeping on our potential for far too long…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY TITAN I AM SO SORRY.
> 
> Seriously! I am. I didn't mean to go absolute ghost on you all or this story for as long as I did but then again, I also didn't expect that once I got over my sickness that I would be hit with an equally miserable and long different one! Well, now that we know Polar ain't going to keel over and die for the time being, it's time to get back into it! Starting with this scene... which ended up being so long that I couldn't fit in the whole OTHER scene I had planned for this chapter. UGH. I promise you we will go back to our girls just as soon as I finish the next chapter. I won't leave you hanging on for that long. 
> 
> But real talk? I am getting burnt out. I am tired. It is the long, depressing winter season and it is getting to me. As much as I would like to, I don't think I can keep the same uploading 'schedule' as I did for SAH. By that I mean a chapter every few days. It may now start inching closer to a chapter like... a week. At least until my shifts get better, or I get to spend a little more then my current 2 hours a day with my girlfriend, whom I live with, and a handful of other things that are slowly draining me. That way I can still be comfortable and happy with what I put out without an overwhelming feeling like I'm letting people down. (Which is another thing that is starting to get really bad...)
> 
> Anyways, I say all of this hoping that the next chapter gets done fast... as I'm really looking forward to it. And the chapter after that we come back to Camilla and I KNOW you all are itching to resolve that. So I'll see y'all on the next update!


	13. Haunted Melody

"I don't know Willow, she sounded pretty concerned. Should we be concerned? About going to school? I didn't even think about that…"

Willow sighed as she continued walking. The sun was beginning to set which meant they would only have a little bit of time to find what they could in the library before they would both have to hurry home. The plant witch ignored the growing dread in her gut. Her mind had felt fuzzy since last night when the portal exploded and her friends were just… gone. The wanted posters, the threat of petrification, the arguments with their parents, it all made her head swim so much that she physically felt off balance. Shoving her worries down to the very corners of her mind helped a little, so that's where Willow intended to keep them. She would just have to keep moving forward. They had a job to do after all. Find a way to build another portal or find another portal, then get their friends back. 

There was no reason to think about what happens tomorrow. Not today at least.

"And that thing with Hooty… the eyes. I'm pretty sure we activated Hooty's 'weird' mode the night of the…" Gus looked around them worriedly, despite the streets being almost entirely empty of civilians or guards, "of the _conjuring._ " He hissed quietly.

Willow blinked, her mind clearing for a second. "Yeah. That was definitely suspicious, but what else can we expect from Hooty?" She laughed, enjoying the change of subject.

Gus's expression didn't change, his face scrunched up into a frown and his hand raised to cup around his chin.

"Yes but even Eda didn't know why. I always figured Eda created The Owl House, but if she didn't, who did? And why was Hooty left there?"

"You're always looking for mysteries Gus. Which I love, but we got a job to do, because you know who else loves mysteries?" Willow asked kindly. It hit her almost too late just how heavy the question was as the words visibly affected Gus. The boy nearly stopped entirely, his head hanging down. 

"Luz... did."

Willow bit her lip. Her point was supposed to something hopeful, but it died on her lips as went to speak it. The emptiness she felt inside her grew and this time it clawed at her insides, desperate to get out.

"She did." Was all Willow could think to say as her head hung as well. Straightening her shoulders she fixed her friend with a smile she couldn't quite feel. "But that's why we're going to the library right? To find a way to get her back."

Gus nodded, a gleam of determination sparking in his eyes. Willow let the look relax her. It took a lot to get Gus down and Willow knew that the loss of Luz, one of their his first real friends outside of herself, could crush him if given enough time. Her heart twisted painfully, an almost inconvenience at this point, as the plant witch steered them both towards the heart of Bonesborough and the library.

***

The door to the secret room hissed open as Gus found himself hyper aware of just how loud it was in the deathly quiet of the building. It was normal to see The Bonesborough Library quiet, but not _this_ quiet. The curfew obviously had many people spooked and the pair hardly saw a soul as they traveled in the sunset through the town. They would be cutting this mission short, but going home with nothing wasn't an option in the young illusionists eyes. 

Willow stood guard at the door as Gus rushed inside, only relaxing as the door finally clicked closed. The young witch let his eyes sweep the room. Regardless of how many people had been crammed into this space not that long ago, somehow Amity's organization was kept intact. There was a small pile of books stacked next to the beanbag chair and more stacked on the small table. Thinking quickly, Gus drew 2 small and quick spell circles, summoning his trusty learning illusions. One made a beeline to the beanbag chair, sweeping up a book and flopping down onto the comfy pillow beside it to begin skimming. The other rolled his eyes at the behavior of his twin and instead calmly walked to the table to start methodically sorting through the books there. 

"Good thinking." Willow nodded. "The more eyes the better." She complimented Gus as she set a hand on his shoulder. Gus felt himself beam at the praise. 

"I figure we just grab a few promising books and take them home. Kinda like homework. If we don't find anything good then we can always return those and come back for more." Gus explained as he joined his clone at the table. Right away an old, thick tomb caught his eye. The spine had no title which only furthered his curiosity. Opening it up he read the first few sentences:

_Humans are and always will be a parasite. One that has invaded the Isles for generations, infiltrating and corrupting our leading governments for as long as the written word can prove._

The book closed with a heavy thud as Gus tossed it away. He wasn't the son of one of most famous reporters in the Isles for nothing. A starting hook that was heavily seeped in biased claims? Paranoia at it's finest. Which meant that the chances that the book may contain anything factual was slim at best. He browsed a few more titles as did his partner at the desk before his shoulders slunk in defeat. Not a single one of these books even seemed even slightly accurate. Even his limited knowledge before he had met Luz surpassed a lot of these 'facts' that these books claimed to contain. 

Turning around he meant to say as much to Willow and found her instead staring down at a book laying half open on the floor. She picked it up gingerly, almost as if she was afraid to disturb it. Gus got a look at the cover as she did. ' _A World Apart_ '.

"Hopefully there's _something_ good in there. We've got absolutely nothing here. I mean I'm all for the pursuit of knowledge but these authors didn't seem to do any pursuing outside of bland paranoia and baseless claims." Gus grumbled as he walked up to his friend. Willow's eyes grew large as she read over the page she had open. 

"Gus… I don't think Amity finished reading this one."

Gus's ears twitched. His clones both stopped what they were doing and stared at Willow. Her voice shook ever so slightly as her eyes stayed glued to the words in front of her. The illusionist tilted his head as his friend finally looked up at him. She took a deep breath as she began to read aloud:

"Not much is recorded from Wild Ages, mostly due to the pure pursuit of power that dominated so many witches lives during that time. However stories persist from a time before then, when the beginning's of a long and bloody time in the Isles' history had just started. As outlandish and mysterious as these stories were, there were common threads woven among them. 

As skirmishes were just beginning to break out amongst the various clans that inhabited the isles at the time, one of the most powerful families in existence seemed to just simply vanish. After months of protest to the power games of the time, the Azure clan outwardly crie for peace. Despite being known for their large and incredible arsenal of magic, they refused to fight back and thus began to be hunted out of fear for the day they might. Dwindling in numbers the story goes that one prominent witch fled into hiding and began to craft a portal. One so powerful that it was capable of ripping through the veil separating the worlds."

Gus blinked as Willow took a shaky breath. His illusioned copies disappeared in a puff of smoke as he took a step back processing what he had just heard. There was no denying it. Luz may have only been a part of their life for a short period of time, but even then, both kids knew all of the stories of her favorite character and the adventures she embarked on. In the time of strife, there was always a heroic witch there to bring the peace.

"Is that book saying what I think it is?" Gus asked hesitantly. Willow merely stared at him before glancing back down at the book in her hand. 

"While these may simply be rumors, or stories created during the chaos of the Wild Ages, it is in line with another story that is fairly prominent during that time. A story that told of a particular witch with a white staff. One who tried her best to keep the peace while battles for power raged around her." Willow continued. 

The two friends shared a glance. They didn't need words to speak. The same thought flowed through both of their brains.

_What if Azura was real?_

_**BONG.** _

Somewhere out in the library a clock chimed, it's loud bell echoed throughout the room. Willow summoned her phone into her hand and checked the time. Flipping the screen around she showed it to Gus. 

The clock read **8:00**. They had been here for too long. Curfew was in effect.

Gulping, Gus tentatively took a step forward and carefully plucked the book out of Willow's hand. Opening up the small bag he had slung across his shoulder, he tucked it safely away. Digging around he grabbed the masks that he had strategically placed at the very bottom of the bag. He held Willow's out for her to take and put on as he donned his own.

Looking around, he swiped up a few more books that neither of them had time to go through. Passing 2 off to Willow he held onto another 3 and filled his bag. While Willow still looked nervous, Gus felt himself almost bursting with excitement. They had an actual lead now. He grinned underneath his mask. 

"Well Nightshade, I think it's time for us to take our leave."

Willow rolled her eyes. "It's such a bad name." She grumbled as she moved towards the door. Glancing up at her friend through the mask, she let her hand rest on the lever. 

"Ready?"

Gus moved to her side. In a flash he created mirror copies of themselves to stand in front of the door. The clones nodded at Willow. With a click, Willow's hand slid down the lever and the door began to hiss open. Once the way was open, both illusions leapt out of the secret hideaway with the intent of luring away any unwanted attention. Waiting a moment Gus gestured for Willow to follow him. They crept slowly through the shelves, every step the clones took shadowed a ways back by two more figures who hid and watched from behind the shelves. Eventually they cleared the library itself and emerged into the fresh air of the night. Waving his hand, Gus let the illusions fade.

"We'll need to split up to get home fast… do you have your phone on you?" Willow asked him in a whisper, the concern obvious in her voice.

The young witch nodded. He reached into his pocket and held up his phone, as he faced it towards his friend the screen flickered to life and illuminated the Willow's wide green eyes. They were tinted with anxiety as she stood there shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She looked about ready to crawl out of her skin. 

"8:26… I really didn't want to be out this late…"

A sound from the town tore Gus's attention away for just a moment. His long ear's twitched as they tried to listen to something in the distance, desperate to identify it. A shiver ran down his back as he realized how eerily quiet Boneborough had fallen. Willow was right, this was already much more serious then they both had expected. They stood at the mercy of both the Emperor's coven or the town guards if they were to get caught now. Glancing back to his friend, Gus took a deep breath. For as long as Willow had treated him like the prodigy he was and not the kid he simply appeared, he knew that she always held onto a flicker of protectiveness. If pushed that flicker would become the flame that the illusionist knew lurked deep inside his friend. 

Willow needed him to be strong. 

"It's just walking home! No different then that time we ran into Tibbles again and he chased us all the way through Bonesborough." Gus waved aside his own fear and smiled confidently.

"Gus I don't think hiding out in the forest is going to work this time." Willow argued back softly.

"Well, no, but we got this nonetheless!" Gus grinned, reaching into his bag and plucking out the book she had read from earlier. He held it up confidently as he continued, "We just found ourselves a major lead. Already one step ahead of the enemy."

Willow looked like she was about to argue, but instead she sighed and a ghost of a smile crept onto her lips. 

"Right. Call if you need help, got it?! No heroics, or picking fights with guards. Library haters or not." Willow warned him, narrowing her eyes accusatorily. 

Holding up his hands in surrender, Gus nodded quickly. "We'll message each other when we make it home. 

"Be safe." Willow said quietly, her eyes softening. Before Gus could say anything more, she pulled the hoodie up on her jacket and hurried down the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, Gus felt his confidence disappear as he watched her leave. Wishing he had brought something to cover his head as well, he began his walk home.

***

Gus's breath hitched as the footsteps he had been hearing crept slowly closer to his hiding spot. Whoever was out hunting was travelling in a pair. Although his fingers itched with the idea of magicking a solution, the young boy instead tried calming his nerves and holding as still as possible. Taking a deep breath he shifted ever so slightly behind the crate and just barely peeked over the edge. He had to find out what he was dealing with first.

Two cloaked figures turned the corner into the once bustling market center. The cold, grey, light orb that drifted in front of their faces illuminated the wanted posters that were hung up earlier. Gulping, Gus fought the urge to hide once more as they turned and faced the stall and wagon he had hid amongst.

He still needed to know more. 

From their outfits alone it wasn't hard to tell they were from his majesty's personal coven. They both had white masks covering their faces. From this distance it was hard to make out any details. As they drew closer, the taller figure stopped and reached into their cloak, pulling out a small mirror. While it was clearly designed to fit into a pocket, the mirror itself was elegant and finely crafted. On the back, etched in gold and standing out starkly against the silver metal of the backing was an intricate symbol. A circle surrounded the basic shape of a diamond, split into fourth's with a simple lined cross. Behind the diamond, 4 leaf-shaped designs extended out from the directions the main diamond did not touch the bordering circle. It reminded Gus of a design for a compass, with each and every shape ending in a point of the directions. The diamond being North, East, South and West and the leaves being the directions in between. 

The design began to glow with the same cold, grey magic of the light orb as the coven member took of their mask off to reveal their face. Odalia Blight grinned as she stared into the mirror, her eyes illuminated with her grey magic. 

"Here should be good Otalin." Odalia said simply, tucking the mirror back into her cloak. 

The coven member standing with her pulled on a string that was wrapped around their neck. Slowly they revealed a large and elegant pan flute that was once hidden by their cloak. Gus fought back an audible groan. Another bard. This one was different however, as instead of a large horn, he wielded one of the most complex and powerful instruments known in the track. Pushing the mask up into their mess of dark hair Gus got a good look at the other member's face. Their face was pale, abnormally so even when compared to someone as pale as a Blight. Their skin was almost translucent in the low light of the street. Besides that their features appeared normal, high cheekbones and sharp green eyes with a large grinning mouth. As the member brought the flute up, their lips parted into a monstrous smile. Large purple-ish mandibles slipped past their sharpened teeth and spread their cheeks before clicking twice and latching onto the instrument. Their hands now free they started drawing a spell circle as their chest heaved in a heavy breath. 

His curiosity beyond sated, Gus realized in a panic just how much trouble he was in. Jamming his fingers into his ears he pressed himself solidly up against the crate and did his best to clear his mind. The very faint notes of a haunting song filled the silence almost immediately. The melody called out to him, it pleaded with him to relieve his mind of it's current strife and to give in to the music. To let his mind become blank.

The young witch pressed himself further into the box and prayed it wouldn't move. He had to dampen the sound coming out of that panpipe somehow. The music was enchanted, but Gus couldn't remember how he knew that. His mind was becoming fuzzy. It was getting harder to think. The melody really did sound so beautiful and it was getting hard to remember why he wanted so desperately to drown it out. Gus bit his lip, hard. The pain brought him some clarity. Luckily the box he was behind was thick and it seemed to absorb even more sound as the young boy pressed himself further into it. If he couldn't block out the music completely he would have to outlast the melody. 

His fangs prodded further into his lip and just as he was afraid he would pierce it, the music abruptly stopped. Gus unclenched his body from the uncomfortable position he had cramped himself into as he kept his fingers tightly jammed in his ears. Peeking up slowly he found the reason as to why the melody had ceased. Odalia and Otalin were both currently facing a large centaur, his hooves completely wrapped in a magical binding. The multiple eyes on his chest were unfocused as Odalia sneered unhappily. Her partner, their flute now hanging limply at their neck, clacked their mandibles in what appeared to be a conversation. 

"It was just not the result I was hoping for. My forecast told me something of importance would be found in this spot tonight."

Several clacks answered her statement. Odalia's eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare as the clacking ceased.

"You can call the Warden. I believe he was assigned this ridiculous night shift as well tonight. Probably as punishment to the both of us. I'm going to retrace our steps, make sure we haven't missed anything. Besides," Odalia snarled as she turned sharply on her heel, "this market reeks of the desperate attempts of the poor to make a living."

Gus waited out the transport as the centaur began to slowly snap out of the trance he was in. As two guards hauled him away his wails haunted the young illusionist. Cries of innocence and fear echoed in his head long after they were out of sight and earshot…

***

Once home, Gus made sure to send a prompt message to Willow, letting her know he made it back safe. Her own message had come in a while before so Gus safely assumed she did not run into any patrols on her way. He promised to update her about what had taken him so long tomorrow, knowing that she would be worried if he confided in her tonight. Not that he had the energy to go over it all again anyways. Slowly he dragged himself to his room, taking note on how quiet the house was. His father must've already come home and went to bed. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest, Gus set his mask down on the desk in his room and emptied out his bag. It's contents piled themselves messily onto the otherwise perfectly organized and neat table. A paper fluttered by his hand as he moved to stack up the books and he watched it fall to the ground, the design drawn onto it stabbing at his heart. 

He stared at it for awhile, unable to bring himself to pick the paper up. Staring at it felt like opening a wound somewhere deep inside of him. Something he had purposefully been trying to push past all day. So instead he turned his attention elsewhere. He finished organizing the books he had borrowed, taking care to set ' _A World Apart_ aside. Yawning, he made his way towards the bed, purposefully ignoring the forgotten glyph laying the floor. It crinkled softly as Gus moved past it, the sound sending a shiver down the young illusionists spine. Without turning around Gus levitated the jacket he had slung across the chair to cover the glyph as he flopped into his bed. Sleep eagerly claimed his eyes and mind as his thoughts drifted to tomorrow and the long day of school that awaited him.

Under the jacket, Luz's recreation of the BatQueen's glyph lay forgotten for the time being. It laid there as uselessly as it had been the night of the heist, the night everything went wrong.

Gus's face scrunched up into a frown as he fell asleep, the wound being painfully slow to close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo. I won't waste any of this chapter's note space with more apologies ( _although I reeaaaaallly want to…_ ) just know that your guy's support and patience means the world to me. Thank you so much and I'll do my best to continue putting out the best quality I possibly can even if it's not at the speed I am accustomed to. 
> 
> Anyways, getting into the chapter itself… OOOOOOOHHHHHH. THE REVEALS BEGIN. Remember how I keep saying it's just the beginning? WELL WELCOME TO BEGINNING FOLKS! A lot to cover for this chapter which is why most of it is in small snippets and scenes. Seems like our two friends have found a pretty important book and an even more compelling lead. I didn't just get this story's title from nothing. I hope you all remembered the book Amity had picked up ALLLLLL the way back in Chapter 18. Considering that was also the chapter I introduced Luz's glowing blue eyes... I can understand if you didn't. But even back then it was foreshadowing for something important... I just didn't realize it's importance would be in a whole... nother... fic...
> 
> Anyways, moving on, I've been playing it pretty tame with Odalia, but she is still a threat and very large one. (Fun fact, the design on the back of her mirror actually appears in the show! Go zoom in on a picture of Blight Manor and in the large window you'll see the design I described. With my own artistic twist of course. Whenever I think of a blight I think of plants so the edges are now leaves. 'Nough said.) Anyways, the name of her partner was actually inspired by a twisted version of Otabin's name. (Also if your wondering the pronunciation is actually Oh-TAL-lin) Why? Because I love tainting Amity's safe spaces with her mother's influence. Imagine your comfort character sharing a similar name to your mother's partner in crime. Also bardic magic is such an amazing concept and I am no longer letting people sleep on it. 
> 
> Anyways, as Gus and Willow prepare to face their next day, we will be catching up with our main girls for their dire 'Meet the Parent' talk with Camilla. Looks like no one will be getting restful sleep just yet.


End file.
